In Response to Chris's blog: Pepsi May Increase Advertisement Budget

http://adage.com/article/news/pepsi-pours-fortune-marketing-drinks-indulgent-snacks/232405/

I have just read an article that agrees with what you have found.  Pepsi is trying to catch up with coke.  They are focusing more on long-term brand loyalty and less on short-term solutions.  In a recent article, I read, in the next one to two weeks “Pepsi will outline its plans for increased marketing investment, particularly in beverages, answering critics who charge it’s an area neglected for too long.” They are stating that this new plan of marketing will cost Pepsi up to $400 to $500 million.  Pepsi have tried to go into the health food market, but since they change their focus from their cash cows of Pepsi and Mountain Dew, they are still falling behind Coke.  Lots of investments will be evident soon and will focus on mostly North American beverages.  This article states that along with these large marking moves Pepsi will create significant cost-cutting to fund the investment, through mostly layoffs.

Do you like Pepsi or Coke better?

I like Pepsi better but if they have to lay off people to become more competitive with Coke I do not believe that is the way they should go about it.  I would try to gain an advantage in another market instead of trying to force the competition over and over.

Do you think Pepsi should be spending more on advertising to catch up with coke?

I believe that Pepsi will do anything that can to be competitive with Coke.  The age old question of Coke or Pepsi has been going on for a long time and until they start attacking each other there will still be a conflict.  I have seen the new Pepsi commercial with the Polar Bears and it is the start I believe of Pepsi attacking Coke to gain the upper hand.

What market do you think The Pepsi Company should go into?

Do you think they will more violently attack each other’s products in their commercials?

Should Pepsi get a mascot like The Coke Polar bears?

Creating an Economy That’s 'Built to Last'

http://www.businessweek.com/innovation/creating-an-economy-thats-built-to-last-01262012.html

In a recent article Obama stated that he wants America to get back to the business of making things. “This means developing skilled workers at home while taking a global view.  President Obama is right: America’s long-term success hinges on its ability to invent technology the world wants. It seems simple, but getting America back in the business of making things isn’t. It’s a global process.”  This idea is an attempt to stimulate our economy and increase the capable workforce. 

Since our manufacturing is far beyond the assembly line, we are now able to research, test, and experiment with new ideas and technology.  This creates more jobs which are focused on Research and Development.  As an example of this, “ the National Science Foundation (NSF) reports that more companies are taking research and development—and 85 percent of the new jobs it creates—overseas. “  After they push their Research and development teams overseas some companies are considering moving parts of their manufacturing operations back to the U.S.  This article states that we need to get more engineers and scientist in our country. 

China one of our competitors is gaining on us due to the fact it graduates much more engineers and scientist than us.  It is a fact that less than 4 percent of the degrees in the US are engineering while over 56 percent of the degrees in Asia are focused in the sciences, like engineering and biology.  This article also states that Obama feels that we should send some of our people over to Asia to learn from their schools.  This would create more trained brilliant minds.  After these people gain the knowledge overseas he feels that they will come back and create new jobs and start new businesses.

Do you agree with this statement?  That since most of our college graduates is not engineers and scientist that more people should be given the opportunity to go overseas to Asia because their engineering programs and schools are well beyond our own. Or do you have a better way of creating more jobs and new businesses in order to stimulate the economy to get our country out of the recession?