Chapter 5 - Developing a Global Vision

       Monster Cables global vision is to be the number one supplier of audio/video components in the world, and with the company distributing in over 70 countries they are well on the way to achieving their goal. Monster is able to get the "word out" about their up and coming product by participating in international conventions, such as this years IFA in Berlin, Germany. IFA is a huge venue with 1,441 exhibitors and over 230,000 visitors. It is a great opportunity to introduce international consumers to Monster Cable's Products by allowing them to see and experience their products first hand.

       At this years IFA, Monster announced its newest headphone line from Beats by Dr. Dre called Beats Mixr. Beats Mixr is a conjunction with Award winning DJ David Guetta designed specifically for DJ's. David Guetta is a DJ/Producer known across Europe. Creating a line with Guetta's endorsement is a great way to break in to the European market. The pairing of a monster product with a celebrity is nothing new to Monster Cable. They have use this formula with most of their headphone product from Beat by Dr. Dre. This Style of marketing development is what Monster is also using to break in to the Asian market.

       In 2010, Monster joined with former basketball player from the Houston Rockets, and Chinese national Yao Ming to create Yao Monster. Together their line of products, which include headphone, performance glasses, lifestyle bags and home theater cables, will ofter Chinese consumers their unique "fusion of technology and life," as noted in the companies press release.

Links:
Yao Monster press release
Yao Monster AD


       Unfortunately, in 2006 Monster had began outsourcing their production jobs to other nations in order to stay competitive with other companies. With the outsourcing of work, Monster laid off over 120 of their production work force. Most of the employees that were laid off are minorities(Chinese and Mexican) and over the age of 40. While this action may have help Monster Cable's bottom line, it has hurt their relationship with their community, which they proclaim to care so much for. Several protest would follow for years to follow. One could only wonder if this is the reason for Monster support of local charities.

Links:
CPA boycott of Monster Cable
Justice for Monster Cable Workers

Chapter 4 - The Marketing Environment

      Monster products appeals to all consumers of technology. Everyday more people are buying high definition products than ever before. Products like HDTVs, Mp3 players, blu Ray dvd players, computer gaming and home entrainment systems are staples in the average American home. With these devices you need component cable and accessories to ensure that these devices display there content in the highest quality as they were intended to. Being a manufacturer of high definition component products Monster Cable is able to capitalize in this market.

     Their target demographic market would include teens, Generation Y and Generation X. These age groups range between 13 to 40 and are some of the biggest consumers around. However marketing to older generations like the GenXers and GenYers may be hard than teens. Older generations tend to purchase brands the recognizes for having a history of quality and reliability through direct experience. Monster's products would be a perfect choice given the company's long standing record of quality (provided that consumer had experience with a inferior product before).

      Teens are some what easier to market to because of their limited experiences. They can be greatly  influenced by whats popular or what their favorite celebrity is using. Monster tries to capitalize in this market by pairing popular artist with their devices. A good example of this is with their ear buds artist series from Beats by Dr. Dre. Each artist is well known and respected in there genre and the teens get a reliable face to co-sign the product. Using pop culture is a effective way of controlling the external market environment.

      Social media is another approach. Now a days approval is just one click away. Monster has a fan page on the popular social network Facebook. There is no age limit to who can use it. All someone has to do is press the button like it and all of their contacts will know. This is a great way to other people to spread the news of products fast and free. I'm pretty sure Monster Cable will use this tactic again as other social networks become more popular.

Ethics and Social Responsibility

    Ethics is defined as the moral principles or values that generally govern the conduct of an individual or group. With that said Monster Cable values are firmly placed in the well being of local communities. Monster Cable appears to be a very socially conscious company. As noted in their website they "pride their-self in the work it does to help those who are in less then fortunate circumstances". Evidence of this can be found in a section on Monster's website to the many charities they contributes to. Here is a list  some of the charities that Monster Cable sponsors:

• RED
• Saint Matthew Catholic School
• The Home Depot Foundation
• Seg 4 Vets
• Rebuilding Together Silicon Valley
• The Ireland Fund
• Better Life Foundation 
• Students in Free Enterprise
• Homeless Children's Network

      But of all of those charitable contribution the one that seems to have made the biggest impact in their local community of San Francisco was the creation of Monster Park. From 2004 to 2008 Monster Cable brought the right to Candlestick Park Stadium, renaming it Monster Park. Candlestick Park was the home to professional sports teams such as the San Francisco Giants (1960-1999), San Francisco 49ers(1971-Present) and Oakland Raiders(1961). It was also the location of Rock and Roll legends The Beatles finally concert in 1966. The San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department receive a significant financial contribution from Monster through the parks creation.

       Each year Monster hosts numerous family friendly community events such as Easter egg hunts, festivals  and concerts. Founder Noel Lee was awarded The Los Angles Unified Humanitarian Award proven that alll of the companies goodwill has not gone unnoticed. Althought some may argue that Monster Cable's products are overpriced, it is good to know that their corporate social responsibilities are deeply rooted in continually community development. 

Links:

Full list of Charities

Thank you letter from Supervisor of Parks and Recreation

Thank you letter from The Ireland Fund

The Strategic Planning for Competitive Advantage

    From the start Monster Cable Product, Inc. has been a production orientated company. Although their product haven't always been the most affordable for the average consumer, they set the standard for quality in consumer devices. The competitive advantage is in the products. They were the first to deliver high quality sound to consumer by creating superior audio cable and have continue this trend with the creation of the new line of audio ware called Beats by Dr. Dre.
     First introduce in 2008, this line headphones and earbuds become hugely popular among young consumer for it sleek style. Marketing for this product become easier with the endorsement of Dr. Dre whom is extremely popular and highly regarded in the music industry. The union of the Monster and Dre was genius since most young consumers may not know the history of Monster product. Young consumer will respect the endorsement from a perfectionist like Dre considered by many as the Qunicy Jones of his generation.
      Monster continues this trend by making of earbuds called Beats by Dre Artist series. The series features designs from four major pop icons of today Sean "Diddy" Combs, Lady Gaga, Lebron James and Justin Bieber. Pairing celebrities with Beats products is strategically a great idea. Monster is able to keep its brand alive with endorsements from current celebrities. Even if a competitor is able to copy Monster signature sound, They may have a hard time appealing to the markets major consumers.


Links to product:
http://beatsbydre.com/products/showproducts.aspx?startBanner=1
http://beatsbydre.com/products/showproducts.aspx?startBanner=2

The Mission Statement

     At Monster Cable, we are truly grateful that we live and work in the San Francisco Bay Area. That's why Monster has always been committed to strengthening our community.

You can view Monsters many charities contributions on their website:
http://www.monstercable.com/community/charities.asp

A Brief History.....

     Monster Cable product, Inc. is the world's leading manufacturer of high performance cables. The produce cables for audio/video components for home, car and professional use as well as computers and computer gaming. Monster cable Product Inc. was the brain child of Noel Lee. He was a Laser-Fusion design engineer at Lawrence-Linermore Laboratory, as well as an audiophile and professional drummer. He changed the audio industry with the creation of his Monster Cable. He discover that wires of different constructions produced varying degrees of audio performances. At the time the industry standard audio cable were based on the same design as ordinary household electrical wires. Those designs created a limited range across the audio spectrum. Like it strong and powerful name, Monster would go on to become synonymous with high performance and quality products.

The Reboot

Welcome to the Reboot. Overnight I had a change of heart and decided to change the company that I'll be following. The new company that I will be following is Monster Cable Products, Inc. The product that I will be following is the trendy line of audio ware know as Beats by Dr. Dre.

Chapter 1: In the beginning.......

  The company I'm choosing to follow this semester is Activision. Activision (also known as ActivisionBlizzard inc.) is a console game publisher with positions in many categories a cross the entertainment software industry. The company began in 1979 with the video game Pitfall! for the Atari. They have since gone on to become the largest third party video game publisher in the world. Activision is home to many popular titles such as Guitar Hero, Spyro, Crash Bandicoct, as well as the Tony Hawk and hugely successful Call of Duty series. Their mission is to continue to be the largest most profitable and well respected interactive entertainment software companies of the world.


Web cited: www.activisionblizzard.com | en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Activision | cssmith2.iweb.bsu.edu/profile.html | www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=398072