Me Too

 

The “Me Too Movement,” was successful in detailing the experiences of individuals across the United States who had either and ever been assaulted or harassed. It prompted more people than ever in the United States to examine their interactions through the gaze of equity, weighing the power dynamics in past interactions with either the opposite sex or the same sex. Nonetheless, according to the National Institute of Health, in a college study with over two-thousand participants, there was no evidence of changes in the prevalence of sexual assault post-Me-Too. Had, then, the “Me too Movement failed”? Was its goal to simply to get women to catalogue their experiences over tea-time and late-night conversations with their closest confidants? Or was its goal to prompt people to not only remember, but then to testify and then to get retribution for either perceived or real harassment and assault?

In this age of the guru or in this age of going viral, personality, one could argue, has become a brand or a venture of sorts. Accordingly, consumer-based movements, one could argue, are also ventures; with legitimate markets with people ready to buy in or opt out. From the bumper stickers to the socially conscious tee-shirts, Dan Polletta, who is the founder of the “Advertising for Humanity,” stated in “The Harvard Business Review,” that “Brand is everything and everything is brand.” With that stated, the question then becomes, what was it about the brand of the Me-Too Movement that failed to galvanize tangible justice?

These questions can be answered through the paradigm of commodification and the branding that occurs to obtain transactional success. In fact, a parallel between the small start-up pizza guy to the middle-class-women, who became the faces of the “Me-Too-Movement,” can be drawn. Specifically, a parallel between George’s Me Too can be used as, not only an analogy between itself and the Me-Too Movement but as a representation of the movement. As a result, from this point on in the discussion, The Me-Too Movement will no longer be discussed explicitly but implicitly through the examination and analysis of George’s pizza venture.

To begin, the area in which George has an interest in has three pizza companies already in operation, but George believes there is enough demand for a fourth pizza place. The text states that since 2010, there has been more than 400,000 new start-ups every year. Yet, most of these start-ups fail. One of the pitfalls wherein many of these failed start-ups fall into is a lack of comprehensive and clear understanding into the market.

Of the three pizza businesses in operation in the area, one is a national chain; offering full course options; appetizers, entrees, and dessert. In addition to that, it offers delivery, so with its dine-in and take-out efforts it encompasses about 40 percent of the student market in the area. The second pizza business is more like our contemporary food trucks; it carries around pre-made pizzas in a wagon successfully well into the evening; where the last five pizzas are sold for whatever is offered. The last pizza venture provides dine-in only, but is stated to be of high quality. Little else is known about it.

While it is true that pizza is one of the most consumed products in the United States for children 2 to 11 and 12- to 19-year-olds, according to the National Institute of Health, and while 13 percent of Americans eat pizza daily, George’s market is still unclear. Is his consumer base college students? Is it children between 2 and 11? Or is it working people working between the hours of 9am to 5pm? Without any real data on the areas demographics, George believes that there is enough demand in the area to allow him to compete with both the national chain and the in-house high quality pizza service, so much so that he thinks he can win over the 15 to 20 percent of the local market with just a run-of-the-mill pizza with high quality ingredients that can be served in-house or door to door.

According to the Small Business Administration, market research allows entrepreneurs to not only know who his or her targeted demographic group is, but market research also allows entrepreneurs to know the targeted groups’ behavior along with market trends. Now, how does that relate to George? Well with more research George would know and understand why the wagon pizza shop sells more during the day as opposed to the evening? Do people eat pizza more during lunch breaks, when grab and go is more convenient? How is business at the high-end pizza shop? What are the pizza prices like? How much money is spent on ingredients? What makes that pizza shop high-end; is it the style in which it is made? Is it the ingredients?  Can the local college students afford the prices at the high-end pizza shop. Are the locals asking for the high-end pizza shop to deliver? What is the current demand?

Not only has George not researched that 15 to 20 percent of consumers he is targeting, but he also has not separated himself from the competition. Sometimes generic is great; its prices are cheaper, the servings sometimes are greater, and sometimes the generic version is better quality. Take the acne drug Tazorac for instance; it is a retinoid cream that has the extraordinary capabilities of deleting and erasing any mark or scar or pimple, but without insurance it is a 100-dollar product. Not many people suffering from acne can afford it. However, Differin-gel is also a retinoid acne cream, and it also works wonders on acne. The best part about it though is that anyone can buy it over the counter for twenty dollars at Walgreens or Amazon. Differin-gel, other than its price, is not unique, but it meets a demand for cheaper acne cream that works. Thus, in this example, not being unique works in the favor of the generic brand.

That withstanding, according to the Warrington College of Business at the University of Florida, generic brands can in many instances catapult the brand-named product forward in sells. How? Well, generic products can serve as decoys to the brand-named products. When comparing generic products to brand named products, the generics can lead consumers to appreciate the brand-named item more. In addition to that, as decoys, the generic products force lower cost manufacturers to produce brand named products at a cheaper price, so that their company is not solely associated with the lower brand item.

The question then becomes how does George make it work; it being his pizza idea? Does he sell it as a frozen good at the marketplace? Does he work with his competitors to fix the prices, despite that being unethical? What should he do. The first thing he should do is step back and analyze his business through an objective lens with a tool like the feasibility criteria approach. One of the pitfalls that entrepreneurs can tend to fall into is the emotional nepotistic attachment to his or her idea.

That stated, Iowa State Universities’ Economic Department, has differentiated the Feasibility Study into four separate types. The goal of each, nonetheless, is to mitigate risk; be it financial or chronological. Time is money, and money is time. Right?

Moving on, another last pitfall that George falls into, due to his lack of research, is not knowing how much money he will need from investors. His operation opens in 90 days. Though, we, the audience, do not know much about his financial situation, he does not understand it as well. He is asking prospective partners for “maybe” money, which is money in the case he needs more than expected for his operation. He has not disclosed where his venture will be; downtown? Near the local colleges? Away from the bustle where there are less options for consumers to buy take-out? Is he renting the space or buying it?

As far as the technical requirements is concerned George has not yet disclosed whether he has the ovens yet or stoves? Is this going to be fried or baked? Electrical or brimstone? Employees? Is he making the pizza himself? Does he have the needed experience? How much is he paying employees?

Essentially, George, with the little information provided, does not seem to have a clear and rational approach through which he is engaging this pizza idea? He needs to step back away from the operation and utilize a checklist of sorts like the feasibility approach to critically analyze what is needed to embark on this venture. He also needs to seriously consider the advice of prospective partners. He is not following up on why his first investor wants nothing to do with this idea. Why does the investor think it is a “me too” venture?

Is George’s pizza approach so banal that anyone can jump on the bandwagon? If it is, can it be taken seriously? Is his venture a fleeting effervescent “hustle” riding on the wings of a trend or an emotional inclination? Is there a genuine motive or desire to solve a problem that exist in the fast-food area in his locale. This brings up the final point. George needs to not only obtain extrinsic critical analysis, but he needs to excavate his internal unction for going into business. Is this something he really wants? Is he passionate about his grand-father’s recipe? Does he want to get some quick celebrity or cash? 

The bible states that without vision, a people perish. Without clear, concise, and genuine understanding of the principals that govern entrepreneurship, even on an intuitive level, yes, his or/and his ideas will be defeated. Vision can override a great deal; love covers a multitude of sins. Passion can be enough to mitigate risks and increase output to input ratio. However, a mob of investors and whim is not sufficient to withstand the test of time.

 

 

References

 

Are Store brands just as good? an expert weighs in. News. (n.d.). Retrieved March 30, 2023, from https://news.ufl.edu/articles/2017/08/are-store-brands-just-as-good-an-expert-weighs-in.html

Atkinson, J. (n.d.). Pizza remains a staple of the college-student diet. The Daily Texan. Retrieved March 30, 2023, from https://thedailytexan.com/2014/02/12/pizza-remains-a-staple-of-the-college-student-diet/#:~:text=University%20dining%20venues%20sold%20a,University's%20approximately%2040%2C000%20undergraduate%20students.'

Hess, A. (2018, May 1). What happens when people and companies are both just 'brands'? The New York Times. Retrieved March 30, 2023, from https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/01/magazine/what-happens-when-people-and-companies-are-both-just-brands.html

Jaffe, A. E., Cero, I., & DiLillo, D. (2021, January 14). The #MeToo movement and perceptions of sexual assault: College students' recognition of sexual assault experiences over time. Psychology of violence. Retrieved March 30, 2023, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8713172/

Powell, L. M., Nguyen, B. T., & Dietz, W. H. (2015, February). Energy and nutrient intake from pizza in the United States. Pediatrics. Retrieved March 30, 2023, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4306796/'

What is a feasibility study?: Ag Decision Maker. Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. (n.d.). Retrieved March 30, 2023, from https://www.extension.iastate.edu/agdm/wholefarm/html/c5-65.html