Practical 4 - SYAFIQ

At first, when we were told that we were supposed to scramble for a company and promote it, i was pretty hesitant and thought that we, being just year 1 students, whom does not have any prior experience with the marketing world; would never be able to find one or worse yet, not be able to value add to the company. 

However we were managed to find a company, which was Ned's Crepes and after working for a while, i realized that i was completely wrong. We have managed to execute so many different kinds of strategies that would/ have helped promote the company. Apart from that, we are indeed really happy that the manager and consultant of the company were really nice and that they are always really understanding. For example, even though in some instances where we were short of the dateline on a particular task, they would always say that it was fine as they knew we still had other projects and assignments to do. However we did not want to take their kindness for granted so we have always tried our best to keep to our word whenever a date of a particular task have been assigned. There was even once instance where both the manager and consultant went all the way down to Singapore Poly just to meet us and discuss on the execution plans as they did not want to trouble us. Hence, i am really grateful to be working with such nice people.

After securing the company and discussing with both the manager and consultant, i created a new Facebook page for Ned's crepes even though they already have a page as i wanted to have a fresh start as the page's last post was made 3 years back. 

Then on the May 23rd, we went down to the store and i took some photos of their crepes and the process of making it as i wanted their Facebook page to have a cover that not only is catchy, but to showcase their fresh made crepes!

    Here is the cover mentioned:

Once we have fully set-up their new page, we took turns to regularly post something up that was either fun or related.

Here are some of the posts that i posted:

Practical 4 -SYAFIQ (Continuation)

On the May 15th,  after discussing with the manager and consultant,  i tried to design a reward card for Ned's Crepes. 

Here is the design:

However after we sent it for approval, the consultant said that it was not a really good design as it lacks the "Oomph" factor.

Hence, i had another go to design another one.

Here it is now:

After submitting this design to the manager and consultant, were we delighted to have them complimenting and say that the design is really nice and that they really liked the concept on how the reward system works on the card itself. Hence, I would like to thank my members Verghese, Jing Ting, Ryan and Aricia for staying up till late at night with me on Skype just to input ideas on designing the Reward Card.

On the July 28th, Verghese and I went down to their store to shoot a video as we wanted to create a video that would educate the public on how Ned's make their Crepes. 

Here is the link to the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFF7dn1LBCs

For this video making, i would really like to thank Verghese for coming along with me to the store to help me take some photos and videos of behind-the-scenes as well as helping to carry and take care of my lenses while i did the shooting.

And here are some screenshots of the video created:

Since the manager and consultant said that they were not keen to hold out any promotions/ campaigns due to the fact that they were holding out a renovation for the store and that since the revenue of the crepes are not much and that they did not want to so called 'suffer' a lesser revenue, we had no choice but to not have any promotions/ campaigns to execute. However, we did not just stop there. We still created some promotional and wish posters even though we knew it would not be used for their company officially.

Here are some of the posters that i created:

Even though i created the posters, i would like thank my members Verghese, Ryan, Jing Ting and Aricia for constantly inputing all your ideas on the different kinds of promotions and campaigns.

Overall, i feel that this whole thing is a great achievement and that am really proud that we as students are given the opportunity of a lifetime to be to able to work with a real company; having to find our own company, process of contacting them, brainstorming ways and strategies to help promote the company, having to solve problems on our own and so on. I've not only learned how to promote a company, but i have acquired a whole new set of skills in marketing.

Comments for my fellow team mates:

Verghese: 

"Hey Verghs!! From the start, you have been the one with the highest enthusiasm level and one with tons of ideas! Thank you so much for all your contributions you have made in this group! And not to forget, all the help you've given me i.e. going all the way down to the store to keep me company and help me to hold and take care of my lens when in need. Thank you for always wanting to be on Skype to help me with the poster designs even at 4am in the morning! You are a great team member and it has been a pleasure to work with you!"

Aricia:

"Hey Aricia!! You have always wanted things to be done fast. This is in fact a really good thing as in this project, you are the one who've always been motivating and spurring us to complete a certain task within the dateline. Although you may be a little pushy at times, i still appreciate it at the end of the day. I am so used to doing things at the very last minute and I know that I really have to change as this bad habit might just be to my own detrimental at the end of the day i.e. not being able to complete a particular task on time and having my grades discounted. Overall, it has been a great experience to work with you!"

Jing Ting:

"Hey Jing Ting! You have always been the one with a great sense of humor and one with lots of stories to share. Although you may be a little cranky at times, i totally understand as you seem to face some problems here and there at times. However it has been a great pleasure having you in the team! Thank you so much to take the initiative in helping me out to make things right whenever i may seem to fall out at times. i.e. helping to re-arrange the assigned slides presentation and even helping to compile the final presentation slides, knowing that i was pretty busy with some other things such as the poster designs and so on! You are a great team member to have!"

Ryan:

"Hey Ryan! You never fail to find the funny side in everything! You constantly joke around, even when the situation requires you to be serious. However, this is the quality that i really admire about you as we as humans should never just be so serious all the time.. It'll make you a boring person to be with. So, thank you so much for always being the clown. You always tend to enlighten the whole scene and mood! Apart from this, you have contributed have made a lot of effort in running this whole project. Thank you once again and i would really love to work with you again in future projects!"

Video Recording Shoot @ Ned's Crepes

Today Verghs and I went down to Ned's Crepes to record a video on how their popular crepes are made. We managed to record their all time favorite chewy 'Ned's Special' and crispy 'Seaweed Chix' crepe. I was scrambling all over the store taking pictures and videos, trying to get the perfect angle and composition. The purpose of the video will be to educate the public what a crepe is and what goes into it besides the passion and love for food.

The manager and the consultant were very nice as they gave us the two Crepes that were made for the video. However sadly, i was fasting and the consultant said that i could drop by again anytime for a complimentary crepe on her! Besides that, she also mentioned that our new 'Reward Card' design was great and that she would tweak it a little to make it perfect. Generally, we really had fun today going down to the store.

In these few days, i will spend my time scanning through all the clips, extracting, and compiling them into one single video and hopefully by tomorrow we can put in up on their new youtube channel that we would be creating for Ned's Crepes. Hopefully the editing goes well. :)



Here are some of the screenshots of the upcoming video:

Done with Presentation 2!!

Today there were supposed to be 2 groups presenting however one of the other group’s member could not make it and we had to take the stage first.

Through this local and overseas case-study, we have learnt to attract customers of different age groups using different methods. We have also learnt that managing a good relationship with customers is indeed really important and that a company should try their best to engage with them i.e. if a customer was to be unhappy with one of the staff’s service, or food, the company should actually reply the customers in the best tone possible as well as informing them that their feedback is very much appreciated cum would they try their very best to investigate and improve on the issue further. All in all, I think that today’s presentation was a successful one!!

Presentation 2 is down! Just one more to go!!
Persevere guys!! We can make it through!! :)

P.S. Tomorrow after school, we would be going down to Ned’s Crepes as a group to meet the manager so that we could discuss and lay down our plan as a whole.

The Taste

On 17^th of May, we went down to Ned’s Crepes to try out their two of their popular crepes, Choco Nana and Blush.                               

                           

When my group and I had our first bite of the Choco nana, it was spectacular. Our eyes widened, the burst of chocolate filled our mouths and soon it began to water. The crunch of the crepe matches the taste perfectly and we felt like it was a match made in heaven.

                     

For the taste of the blush, it was a whole different experience. Since it was a hot day, the chewy feeling of the crepe, with cool and delicious ice cream made us feel good inside. Furthermore, we had moments where it was crunchy such as when we bite the koko crunch and the freshness of the strawberries made the whole taste an unforgettable one! 

Our First Attempt To 51 Soya Bean & A Taste of Blackball's Signature Dessert!

On April 19th, after school, five of our group members went to the 51 soya bean at Blk 442 Clementi Avenue 3. We introduced ourselves to an aunty who seemed to be the only staff there. After that, we suggested to the auntie if we could collaborate with them to help further market the company via means of social media platforms. Unfortunately, she said she could not help us because she was not the boss of the company and she was not able to give any response regarding our questions. She then told us that their main branch was actually at ‘Old Changi Road’ and that the boss of the company was supposedly to be there!

 

We then bought two of their original flavored soya bean curd and requested if we could have a picture with her in front of the store. We were quite disappointed when the aunty declined because she said she did not feel like she was in the position to take a photo with us as she was not the boss of the company. We did not want force and waste her time, so at the end, we just shook hands with the sweet ‘ah ma’ and thanked for her help and time. Before we left, she told us that we should in fact visit her shop more often and that if she’d recognize our faces, she would definitely give us a special discount.

After that, we went to have a taste of Blackball's signature dessert which was really mouthwatering and worth every penny!! At the same time, we also had a taste of the soya bean curd that we bought from ’51 Soya Bean’ earlier. The bean curd very soft and silky, and the smooth curd just dissolved instantaneously in our mouths!

Company : 51 Soya Bean

Contact Number: 90907009

Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/51soyabeancurd

Location: 51 Old Airport Road, Singapore, Singapore

Date: April 19th 2013

Time: 2pm