Blog #4: Oreo Balls

Oreo Balls

Oreo balls is an amazing food that is a great snack and is fun to make!  I personally love making Oreo balls as a dessert to bring to a gathering.  Making Oreo balls is a simple, easy process that doesn't require too many ingredients or an oven.  All you need are Oreos, cream cheese, powdered sugar, and chocolate.  You start by mixing the Oreos, cream cheese, and powdered sugar and roll them into one inch balls.  Then you put melted chocolate around the balls of Oreos.  This is a perfect simple dessert that is easy to make for almost any occasion. 

The link below is the recipe that I use when I go to make Oreo balls. 

http://www.thebudgetdiet.com/oreo-ball-recipe

Brand Equity

Having great brand equity adds a lot of value to your brand.  Oreo balls itself are not a brand, however, they help give the Oreo brand name equity.  Oreo balls increase the versatility of an Oreo and it is no longer just a simple cookie.  

In creating brand equity, there are a few things you want to consider.  First, you want to try to set a positive brand awareness to your consumers so that they keep coming back and using your product.  Then you want to make sure your product is functional but also has an imaginary side to it.  In this case, Oreos have successfully created positive brand awareness because people were able to get creative with this product by expanding its use and created Oreo balls.  Next, you should take into consideration the thoughts and feelings of your consumers.  You want to make sure that they are having positive thoughts and are loving your product so that they continue to come back to you.  Finally, you want to create a connection with your consumers.  This is a very hard task to complete, but you want to try to create a positive relationship.  With Oreos, they try to create a positive connection with their customers by creating Oreos with different colored fillings depending on the current holiday.  They also give out different recipes that involve the Oreo so that way there are many more uses other than just eating a cookie.  The Oreo balls is a great example for that.  

Blog #3: Apple Pie

Apple Pie

Personally, apple pie is one of my favorite holiday desserts.  At every fall and winter family holiday get-together, my aunt makes her amazing apple pie for dessert.  She’ll spend all day in the kitchen cooking and baking.  My aunt's apple pie recipe is a big secret and she refuses to tell anyone how she's does it.  However, if you would like to try to make apple pie one day, below I posted the link to Betty Crocker's website with another great recipe.  This is the recipe that I use when I make apple pie myself.  It is a very time consumer dessert to make, but in the end, it is more than worth it after you take that first bit and your mouth fills with apple cinnamon goodness!

http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/scrumptious-apple-pie/a41b6992-efb5-4b8a-998c-26d25f05e05a

Product Life Cycle 

The product life cycle pretty much just lets you know how are along a certain product is in its life.  Depending on what stage a product is in, you will be able to determine how if its sales are either increasing or decreasing.  Apple pie is a little different than normal, everyday consumer products, however it still goes through this process when you relate it to what season it is mostly made and eaten in. 

Introduction Stage

Right now, it is prime time fall season, school has started up but the holiday season don't start until next weekend.  Slowly, the pumpkin and apple flavored treats are coming back in style.  Therefore, apple pie is in its introductory stage for this year.  The prices and sales of apple pie, and other apple desserts and drinks, are slowly starting to rise.

Growth Stage

Next weekend, the holiday season will be here!  Halloween is this weekend, thanksgiving is a month away, and christmas is not far behind.  I know for my family, at every holiday occasion, we have apple pie for dessert.  My aunt usually makes homemade apple pie, rather than buying it pre-made at the store, however for others who buy it at the store, the sales are rapidly growing.  When the sales of a product grow at a rapid pace, you know it has reached its growth stage in its life cycle.

Maturity Stage

Once Halloween comes, the holiday season will fly by!  A few days after christmas, the holiday season will slowly come to an end. Therefore, the apple pie season will also come to an end.  As a result, the maturity stage steps in and the sales of apple pie desserts will begin to decrease. 

Decline Stage

Eventually, holiday season will be all over and the new year will be here!  The sales of apple pie will drop very low.  During this decline stage, you can either do two things with the product.. deletion: where you completely get rid of the product, or harvesting: where you retain the product but don't get rid of it.  Apple pie is a little different than normal consumer products, so in this case, deletion is not an option.  You would just harvest it while you bring out the newest trend for the next season to come. Then the next year, when fall rolls around, you bring out the apple pie again and the life cycle starts all over again.