Golazo: Natural Sports Fuel

Golazo produces energy drinks that are made with natural ingredients and provide athletes with the refreshment they need to have the best performance on the field. Golazo drinks have no artificial flavors, colors, sweeteners or preservatives, and have 50% less sugar than the leading energy drinks. The company’s employees are soccer fans and players themselves, and understand the athletes’ needs for fast recovery, endurance, and mental acuity on the field. Their mission is to create drinks that give athletes what they need to optimize their performance in a natural way.

The company’s main target market is athletes (professional and amateur), who are conscious about their health, and performance. Golazo drinks provide them with the perfect mix of natural ingredients, great taste, and the recovery and energy they need. Golazo is disrupting an existing market that has large and established players, such as Gatorade and Powerade. The consumers in this market are increasingly aware of the negative effects of artificial ingredients, and Golazo offers them the natural alternative they are looking for.

Golazo reaches customers at supermarkets such as Whole Foods, Safeway, and QFC, and also online at Amazon.com. The company has also reached out to soccer fans by giving away free samples at Sounders games, and partnering with national (Yedlin), and global (Pele), soccer stars. Additionally, the company has a strong presence on social media and actively interacts with customers on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Golazo’s team is committed to the mission of creating the best energy drinks in the world, and the company continues to grow its reach and influence in this market.

Taqueria Guadalajara

As I thought about a product or service to write about on this blog post I went through the applications on my phone, websites I visit, and companies I follow. Some of these applications and services come from small and mid-size companies, and I use them on a regular basis. However, as I thought beyond digital products I identified a small company that I purchase products from on a regular basis: Taqueria Guadalajara. This taqueria is located in a taco truck that is parked at a gas station in Bellevue. I am a loyal customer of this taqueria and visit it at least once every two weeks. Specifically, an item I always purchase when I go there is their beef tacos. There are three aspects of this product that make me a repeat customer:

• Emotional attachment: While growing up in Colombia my grandmother usually cooked beef in a similar way (with onion, cilantro, etc.). Tacos are a Mexican dish, but every time I eat the beef ones they remind me of my childhood and of my grandmother
• Quality of service: The staff at the taco truck is always cordial, and polite. The service is fast, and it’s always nice to say hi, and speak some Spanish (my first language), while I’m there
• Price: The prices at the taco truck are affordable

The company does not really stay in touch with me through social media or other digital mechanisms. However, I drive by it every day on my way to work so I am constantly reminded of its services and products. Furthermore, many of my friends are loyal customers as well and we usually meet up there to get lunch and catch up. I was able to find a business page for it on Facebook and liked it so I can stay in touch in that way as well.

I have told many friends about this taqueria and have brought them there (friends from different ethnicities, backgrounds, etc.), and they have really enjoyed the food. The great service and experience I get from the taqueria motivates me to tell others about it, and to take them there so they can experience it too.

FIFA 15: Feel the game

A product that was recently introduced to me via online advertising was the videogame FIFA 15. I own the 2014 version of the game but I had not really thought about purchasing the new installment in the series until I watched some commercials about it and did some research. I was watching soccer match highlights on YouTube and a FIFA 15 commercial about the new goalkeeper animations in the game came up. I watched the commercial and became interested. I did some research online, and checked which teams were in the game, what leagues had been included, etc. Next, I read a review of the game on GameSpot. A few days later I turned on my Xbox and saw an ad for the game’s demo on one of the tiles in the dashboard. I downloaded the demo, played it, and really enjoyed the experience. It was similar to the 2014 version but had some subtle, yet great improvements. I purchased the game shortly after that (about a month after I initially learned about it).

One of the main aspects that moved me from awareness to purchase was the fact that some of friends bought the game as soon as it came out, and told me about their experience with it. They really enjoyed it, and told me about some of the features in the game, such as the great online match experience. I also had the opportunity to visit one of my friends and played a few matches on his Xbox. That personal experience and the reliable information from my friends were important in convincing me to purchase the product.

In conclusion, the timing and context of the advertising (the ad played when I was watching soccer match highlights), and reaching the customer through relevant channels (online ads on related websites/videos, game console ads, etc.), are important factors in helping a customer go from awareness to purchase.

Soccerly.com: The soccer destination for US fans

Soccerly.com is an online portal that provides news and information about soccer. Their goal is to be the soccer destination for fans in the US by providing them with relevant information and an enjoyable way to stay up to date with the most important events in the world of soccer.

By visiting their website I was able to get updated on the most important soccer events of the day. Along with articles the site includes links to soccer-related videos, images, and quotes. For example, the page included a video to the top goals of Premier League week 8, and also a quote from Louis Van Gaal after today’s Manchester United game. Their site also offers users many opportunities to get involved by commenting on, and sharing posts. Soccerly.com includes MLS, Premier League, Mexican League, Champions League, and women’s professional soccer news sections.

In my opinion their value proposition matches their positioning. They offer an enjoyable way for US soccer fans to stay informed while also offering them interesting and entertaining videos, images, and quotes. Additionally, they focus on leagues that are of high relevance for fans in the US (English Premier League, Spanish League, Mexican League), and have a section dedicated to fans of women’s soccer.

Company Profile: CreativeLive

CreativeLive provides a platform for experts in different fields to share their knowledge and experience with audiences around the world. Live classes are available free of charge, and attendees have the opportunity to interact with the instructors in real-time. The organization’s main objective is to make high-quality, creative education available to entrepreneurs around the world. Pre-recorded courses are also available for purchase, and so far CreativeLive has broadcast more than 600 courses to more than 2 million students around the world.

The company’s target market is creative entrepreneurs. These are individuals who are passionate about a creative art, such as photography, music, video, etc., and want to improve their skills and use them to develop their own businesses. Based on the kinds of courses that are offered, and the way they market themselves on social media, they are going after men and women between the ages of 20 and 40, who place high value on independence, creativity, and uniqueness in both their personal and professional lives. These individuals are mostly located in major cities in the east and west coasts of the United States as well as in Western Europe (mainly the United Kingdom).

CreativeLive has a very strong focus on Photography courses, since that is the core competency of one of its founders. It has gradually expanded to other areas such as video, art, design, software, business, and financial education. They have had a focused approach on creative arts, but are progressively expanding their courses to cover other relevant areas for entrepreneurs.

The organization is developing a new market by reaching creative entrepreneurs whose needs are not being fully met by traditional education. This target market is interested in learning skills that they can quickly apply to ongoing projects and business ideas, and they want to learn these skills from instructors who not only know the theory behind them, but have actually applied them and used them in the real world. Furthermore, the fact that the live courses are free make this a very attractive option for entrepreneurs who may be short on financial resources. Also, if students miss the live sessions they have the opportunity to purchase the courses and watch them on-demand.

In summary, CreativeLive is bringing a new perspective to the world of online education by providing courses that teach relevant and applicable skills for creative entrepreneurs. They do this free of charge (live course sessions), and enable students to interact with the instructors and learn about a diverse set of fields in the creative space. CreativeLive continues to grow and expand its course offerings while also gaining new students and instructors around the world.