ReDefine key customer is a young person who uses the internet to research and plan their travel around the world. The exact consumer can be described as an escapist and learner. As an escapist, they are thrill seeking and adventurous, always open and ready for destination and content discovering and exploring (Baniya et al., 2021). Since escapists often do not have a destination in mind, ReDefine can market its tourist attractions to capture their attention. ReDefine’s product will also appeal to learners who value cultures and want historical interactions with their destinations (Baniya et al., 2021). The company’s online presence will provide crucial information about various sites that will captivate learners. ReDefine must create an online presence that appeals to escapists and learners, as they would benefit most from the company’s offering.
In this consumer persona, ReDefine’s learner tourist is described in detail. The persona profile presents a young career woman in her early thirties. She is unmarried and has no children but is dating. She travels alone or with friends and buys her travel packages one to three months earlier; she does not exhibit impulsive purchasing behavior. She learns of new destinations or travel agents through word of mouth, confirms it on social media, and learns more on company websites. She is financially stable, without house mortgage or car loan. As a learner tourist, she conducts research on the internet regarding tourist destinations in her chosen country. She has loyalty towards certain brands, positioning her as a long-term customer of ReDefine.
Juliana Leo is a single working young woman who is dating but has no children. She is the second born child in a family of two boys and one girl. The customer works a nine to five job and travels twice every year to various continents. Juliana lives in a rented apartment and owns a prestigious car she uses to go to work and back. Her hobbies in town include watching movies, playing golf, and interacting with new people. When she travels to tourist destinations, Juliana likes to visit new places, learn new cultures, and make friends. She does most of her shopping online and chooses door deliveries for most of it.
The challenge Juliana might face is lack of enough or complete information online. As a learner tourist, she conducts research on the internet regarding tourist destinations in her chosen country. If there are scanty or lacking information, she might decide to change the country of destination. As such, ReDefine must ensure that all their tourist attraction sites and activities are listed and properly described on the website. Juliana will mostly begin her research from social media or through referrals from friends then proceed to various websites for more information. Therefore, insufficient or complete lack of such information on the internet would present as a serious challenge to her travel plans.
Juliana travels alone, with her boyfriend, or alongside her girlfriends. Therefore, she buys products for herself, boyfriend, or friends depending on travelling plans. She purchases her ticket two to three months before her departure flight from the city. As an early planner, Juliana seeks the advantage of discounts and low rates linked to offseason buying. She does not exhibit impulsive purchasing behavior at all, as she seeks to understand her destinations and plan before the journey begins. When travelling with others, Juliana might purchase group offers a month or two earlier.
The two primary sources of information that Juliana uses to choose her destinations include referrals from friends and workmates and social media. During social events such as parties and weddings, Juliana interacts with friends and uses the opportunity to learn about new great destinations she can visit. At work, Juliana and her colleagues encourage sharing travel experiences, whether positive or negative to help others enjoy their leaves. In addition, she checks and takes notes of the comments and feedback given on her social media. For example, if a friend recommends ReDefine to her, she searches the company’s social media pages and scrolls through the comments and reviews. From the social network posts, she visits the website for more information.
Juliana enjoys some level of financial freedom because she has savings and investments. Additionally, she does not live paycheck to paycheck but ensures there are emergency funds. Juliana has a stable job with a monthly salary and paid annual leave. She spends wisely while setting aside enough money for her vacations. She lives in a rented apartment and drives a fully paid for car. Therefore, without mortgage and car repayments, her only debt obligation is a credit card she uses for shopping. As a single youthful woman, Juliana spends a considerable part of her money on leisure, learning, and other self-development activities.
Juliana hopes for comfort during her travel and aims at learning new cultures, exploring undiscovered destinations, and interacting with people she has never met. While comfort is at the center of her vacation, she seeks to explore new sites and depends on suggestions from guides. Her other goal is to relax and get away from the busy schedules of her job. As she achieves the goals, she needs a safe place where new connections are possible to establish. Therefore, she chooses places that are often visited by others over solitary and less visited sites. Juliana also enjoys indulging in local culture cuisines and prefers destinations that offer a variety of them.
Juliana has several brand affinities in clothing, food items, shoes, and perfume. Most of her attires are from Chrome Hearts while her luxury brand is Louis Vuitton. Although she buys clothes from other brands when she finds them attractive, she follows Chrome Hearts and Louis Vuitton on their social media pages to stay updated about new product launches. When it comes to soft beverages, Juliana chooses Coca Cola over Pepsi and others. She buys most of her processed foods from Tyson Foods Inc. Juliana’s shoes are mainly from Sergio Rossi and Gianvito Rossi. In short, Juliana has a considerable level of customer loyalty and brand affinity. She might develop such loyalty with travel agents and other tourism organizations like ReDefine.
Considering the three promises offered by to its customers, Juliana is a perfect consumer of the product. She wants to discover while travelling and ReDefine will make that possible by exploring undiscovered areas. Juliana seeks to learn new cultures and enjoy their cuisine, which is another promise from ReDefine. The third promise fulfills Juliana’s need for relaxing before she goes bank to the hustles and tussles of city life. This is fulfilled through meaningful explorations and a happy adventure achieved from new knowledge and connections.
Reference
Baniya, R., Thapa, B., Paudyal, R., & Neupane, S. S. (2021). Motive-based segmentation of international tourists at Gaurishankar Conservation Area, Nepal. Journal of Mountain Science, 18(1), 205-218. Web.
Vedaymagazine. (2016). Woman hiking [Photograph]. Pixabay. Web.
Bald Genius Stereotype: Raymond Reddington From “The Blacklist”
Character Description
- Character: Raymond Reddington.
- Television show: The Blacklist.
The Blacklist is an ongoing American crime thriller television series that airs every Friday at 8 PM on the National Broadcasting Company (NBC). The show premiered on 23rd September 2013 and is currently on its eighth season, claiming that it has been renewed for a ninth season already in 2021-2022 (“The Blacklist,” 2021). It follows through Raymond Reddington’s life (James Spader), a former navy officer who voluntarily turns himself in after evading capture for years. He supposedly has a list of high-profile criminals, which he is willing to exchange for immunity. As a result, he ends up being an informant for a secret Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) task force. In 2014, the series won the primetime creative arts Emmy Awards for outstanding stunt coordination for a drama series and was nominated in several other categories in the same year (“The Blacklist,” 2021). Currently, it is rated 91% by Rotten Tomatoes, 8.7/10 by Tv.com, and 8/10 on IMDb, which is a good rating (“The Blacklist,” 2021). Additionally, it is among the top 100 rated series of 2019-2020.
Raymond Reddington is the main character on the show, and it revolves around him. He is a “bald genius” stereotype portrayed through the events that occur from the first episode to where it is currently. Reddington is all-knowing, and he makes calculated moves that are somewhat unfathomable. He has networks across the world and has connections with both good and bad people, and whatever decision he makes portrays the decision-making skills of a knowledgeable person. The FBI constantly depends on him for information while he uses their resources for his gain. For instance, in one episode, he helps the task force track General Ludd to get him arrested and steal his money and secure a hard drive containing currency blueprints (“The Blacklist,” 2021). In another episode, he says to one of the characters: “You see that Geoff, that is what an intelligent man does. That is what separates men like me from men like you.”
According to a study by Tanja Baudson (2016), male baldness is linked heavily to intelligence and success. Even in TV shows, it may be found in such characters as Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, and Vin Diesel, who often take geniuses’ roles, making rather intelligent decisions and calculated moves. This establishes bald men as such and consequently increases their perception in this way, creating an unwarranted stereotype. He, for instance, cites the movie Jumanji which involves Kevin Hart and Dwayne Johnson. Kevin Hart, who has a lot of hair in the film, is portrayed as dumb, while Dwayne Johnson is the strong, intelligent one and is also the voice of reason.
Concept Application
Concepts: Ultimate Attribution Error, the Halo Effect, and Self-fulfilling Stereotypes
A character such as Raymond Reddington can be analyzed under the Ultimate Attribution Error. This error arises when an individual’s behavior is explained in terms of their disposition instead of their situation. Individuals who believe in the “bald genius” stereotype are likely to demonstrate a bald man’s intelligent decisions and behavior on his disposition. For instance, if a bald man was the head of an organization that was on the verge of collapsing and he made a decision that turned the firm’s fortune around, people might think it is a natural occurrence because he is bald and, hence, intelligent (Radeke & Stahelski, 2020). However, if a non-bald makes the same decision, then most people are likely to link that the outcome depends on the decision itself and not on his natural intellect (Baudson, 2016). However, this does not mean that either of them is naturally intelligent, though such stereotypes are made entirely from the beliefs people have about male baldness.
This stereotype can also be understood using the concept of the Halo Effect. As defined in Week 6 Module, the halo effect is the attractiveness stereotype, which tends to assign positive qualities and traits to physically attractive people. The bald genius stereotype encourages people to be attracted to bald men and gives them other positive attributes. For instance, they are deemed to have better mental health, great intelligence, and higher mortality. However, men who are not bald are considered criminals and linked to criminal activities (Radeke & Stahelski, 2020). Ladies are also likely to be attracted to bald men instead of non-bald ones as they deem them more successful and accord them pore positive qualities.
Finally, Raymond can be analyzed using the concept of self-fulfilling stereotypes. This aspect changes how people act, making them have behaviors that portray the stereotype. Therefore, the bald genius stereotype encourages people to think of bald men as intelligent individuals. Consequently, if such perceptions become dominant, such people are likely to engage in intelligent talks and discussions. Thus, they are likely to assume such a trait based on such treatment as they are deemed intelligent by most people (Radeke & Stahelski, 2020). Even in schools, tutors are likely to ensure that bald male students are assigned more challenging tasks because of the assumed higher academic ability and interest. This may have a positive effect on them depending on their perception of the teacher’s treatment.
Summary and Conclusion
The “bald genius “stereotype can lead to an inaccurate explanation and perception of bald men’s intelligence and success. This is the effect that stereotypes in TV shows and movies have on how people view each other globally. Additionally, this affects the interactions that one has with bald men, making them view themselves as intelligent and successful. Though this might be a good thing, the effect that it has on non-bald men is unnecessary. Therefore, it is essential to acknowledge that such concepts as the halo effect, self-fulling stereotypes, and ultimate attribution errors portrayed by the “bald genius” exist only in movies. Therefore, such must be differentiated from reality to ensure that equity and equality are upheld.
References
Baudson, T. (2016). The bald genius stereotype: Still alive and well. Frontiers in Psychology, 7. Web.
Radeke, M., & Stahelski, A. (2020). Altering age and gender stereotypes by creating the Halo and Horns Effects with facial expressions. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 7(1). Web.
The Blacklist. Vulture. (2021). Web.
On-Road Integrated Optimization
On-Road Integrated Optimization and Navigation, or simply ORION developed by UPS, has several major advantages. Due to the efficient routing, ORION improves each delivery’s cost efficiency, as fewer roads are covered, and fuel consumed. Consequently, it leads to the improvement in customer service and the environmental impact of the company. The improvement in customer service is addressed to the timely delivery of the packages. At the same time, every mile saved through the ORION routing has reduced fuel consumption and led to a reduction in CO2 emissions by 100 000 metric tons annually (Holland et al., 2017). This indirect impact of the ORION development helps to operate the company in a more sustainable way.
The upgrade in the form of UPSNav further expands the existing capabilities of ORION through the provision of detailed directions towards loading docks and delivery destinations or boarding sites that are not easily recognizable. In addition, it allows fast renovation of maps to address the change in delivery or pickup point. Overall, it can be considered as the renewed version of ORION with higher quality mapping functions.
The improvements that can be brought to the system include the incorporation of smart and sustainable vehicles. Commercial electric vehicles with autonomous driving options are a major step in the development of sustainable, comfortable, and cost-efficient business models (Zeziulin et al., 2019). Software problem of such solutions is one of the major constraints towards availability of technology (Zeziulin et al., 2019).
However, the existing routing systems of UPS, such as UPSNav, can possibly be used to create and enhance the capabilities of self-driving cars. Moreover, it is also possible to apply the artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities of ORION routing for the development of aerial logistics for which the company plans to use drones. The deployment of drones will indicate the transformation of delivery services in the near future.
References
Holland, C., Levis, J., Nuggehalli, R., Santilli, B., & Winters, J. (2017). UPS optimizes delivery routes. Interfaces, 47(1), 8–23. Web.
Zeziulin, D. V., Tyugin, D. Y., Tumasov, A. V., Dorofeev, R. A., & Fadeev, E. A. (2019). Development of commercial electric vehicles platforms adapted for the use of self-friving systems. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 272, 032060. Web.