Microrobotic fly

Futuristic Good or Service

Marketing is defined by the American Marketing Association as the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large (American Marketing Association). Marketers try new and exciting techniques by using successful tactics to sell their product to the masses. In this particular case, the next big thing in search and rescue technology will be on display. Through Popular Science’s future products, the world has been exposed to the Microrobotic Fly. This single technological innovation that weighs only 60 mg will one day be the standard in reconning areas and searching and rescuing. Through specific marketing techniques such as shock and scare tactics, emotional attachment, branding, and specific product placement, the world will learn of the wonders of the microrobotic fly.

The Microrobotic Fly was developed by Dr. Robert Wood, a professor of micro robotics at Harvard University. This small, flying micro chip can buzz into areas that humans couldn’t or wouldn’t be able to go. This technological breakthrough can save not only people in dangers lives, but firefighters, police officers, army soldiers, and any other person in harmsway. This small fly can get into places that people would not be able to. Picture the horrific 9/11 tragedy happening again. If we had these Microrobotic Flies, we could send them into the area to pick up CO2, Thermal readings, and even Acoustic signs of breathing and talking to seek out and rescue human beings. Microrobotic Flies could also be used from a military standpoint. By sending out Microrobotic Flies, instead of having scouts on the front lines, we can send out these unmanned flies out to track enemy movements and strongholds. Instead of marketing this product to the general public, this product would be best suited for local police and fire departments, the military, and government officials. The regular soccer mom or working father might not have as much of a vested interest in this product as say a fire chief or army commanding officer. Through the use of branding, emotional attachment, shock and scare tactics, and product placement, the Microrobotic Fly will be an easily marketed product.
The first marketing technique would be shock and scare tactics. Safety is a huge concern to all Americans, especially after 9/11 as stated before. Graphic images of battlefield scenes, and even terrorist attacks could spurn people to want to make these things become manufactured and given out to officials so they can save lives. By showing graphic images and then showing these Microrobotic Flies seeking out and rescuing people, it would be an instant hit. This ad would be another wake up call to people reminding them of the world we live in and how products like this can help.

The next marketing technique that I would use would be emotional appeals. For this technique to be effective, you would need to strike an emotional chord in the people you are trying to sell to. A need and passion for the product is necessary in this case. By showing individuals such as the elderly, a baby or child, or a wife or husband in need, a potential buyer could think of their loved ones and become attached and dedicated towards the product. By showing a scene of someone trapped in a burning building, under pounds of rubble, or even in a natural disaster, a consumer can attach their feelings to the characters portrayed because of their cognitive thoughts and feelings towards another person. The consumer would need to put their love of their loved ones over the price of the product. If the product is deemed necessary for the survival of life, people will flock to the product. Necessity is key to everyone’s life. If the point is made that you can save your family with this product, then the audience realizes that this product is necessary for their life.

And finally the last two techniques that would be great techniques to market this product would be branding and product placement. A brand is a name, term, design, symbol, or other feature that distinguishes products and services from competitive offerings. A brand is more than a name, design or symbol. Brand reflects personality of the company which is organizational culture. Look at brands like Nike or Gatorade, these brand logos help move product. If you think of Nike’s symbol, you think of the best most elite athletes known to man. If we could but a brand logo on the Microrobotic Fly, that brand logo could be synonymous with safety. And lastly, the final technique used would be product placement. Imagine seeing the Fly in a major motion picture or television show. We could expose the product to millions of people right before its manufactured so they can get a taste to exactly what it does and how it works. Imagine seeing a Fly in Transformers or The Dark Knight. It would be a license to print money and ship Flys.
This futuristic product has the greatest and easiest ways to expose its abilities. By using techniques such as Scare and Shock Tactics, Emotional Appeals, and Branding and Product Placement, the Microrobotic Fly will be sold everywhere around the world. This product will be the gold standard of search and resuce. With this product everyone will be safer when disaster strikes.