Reply to the discussion post 1 and 2 in your own words: (Do not attempt to solve
ID: 420520 • Letter: R
Question
Reply to the discussion post 1 and 2 in your own words: (Do not attempt to solve if you cannot fulfill all the requirements.)
Discussion 1: The circus has stayed the same for many years now. Clowns, animals, tightrope acts, and various activities have always been what circuses revolve around. Barnum and Bailey are the creators of the Ringling Brothers circus for fifty years as stated as the Ringling website. (https://www.ringling.com) However in the year old 2017 the Ringling Circus did its last show. The Ringling Circus was known as "The Greatest Show On Earth" for many years but this circus was more traditional and family oriented. The thing about a circus that has been around for fifty years though is its hard to have innovation. The Ringling Circus wanted to keep the same acts and more or less stay predictable to the audience. Great for a one time watch but when you go back you already know what to expect.
Cirque de Soleil is also a circus in a matter of speaking but it is more original and the shows will surprise you ever time. They include acts that are more innovative then regular circuses. They can be more dangerous and impressive compared to the usual things you see at circuses.
I believe that Barnum and Bailey wanted to be a traditional family circus. They didn't want to innovate their business, they wanted to keep it family oriented. Cirque de Soleli wasn't targeted towards children or family's and that it what the Ringling brothers wanted to target. They also didn't want to change up their acts to be more daring like the acts that Cirque de Solell had. Although they were both circuses since the Ringling Brother's were going after a different target audience than Cirque de Solell they thought they could make it.
They also didn't create Cirque de Solell because the Ringling Brothers based their circus on animal acts compared to human acts. The Ringling Brothers tried to adapt their acts but they couldn't make it different like Cirque de Soleil did. Basically the Ringling Brothers didn't want to adapt to change like Cirque de Soleil did.
Discussions 2: When Cirque Du Soleil started in 1984, they were already unique and brought a different crowd and a whole new customer. They were innovative and in turn made the traditional circus irrelevant. Cirque Du Soleil created a "must have" and differentiated themselves from the circus that Barnum and Bailey created. Barnum and Bailey would have to transform, Cirque Du Soleil transformed the circus and created performances that were must haves that Barnum and Bailey did not try to recreate. Customers were willing to pay a higher price for these performances that you could not get anywhere else, they had a "must-have" that paid off. Cirque Du Soleil was also the first to do performances of this nature, they had an innovators advantage. Since Cirque Du Soleil has this advantage Barnum and Bailey would really have to play catch up, and really change their target market. (Aaker, 2018)
Barnum and Bailey were not open to change their brand, did nothing to be innovative and consistently did the same thing over and over. Cirque Du Soleil had innovated, creative and exciting shows that were different each time. They kept up with technology advances and created their own niche market. They circus was already something everyone loved to go to, now the Cirque Du Soleil was bringing something different and appealed to a different crowd, something Barnum and Bailey would have to work hard to recreate themselves. Cirque Du Soleil has continued to keep the edge and constantly recreate themselves. Cirque Du Soleil came into the market at a good time and was able to keep the competitive advantage that Barnum and Bailey just did not seem to have. (Aaker, 2018)
Explanation / Answer
The discussion depicts the case of a scenario of competitive advantage gained by one company over the other due to the innovative nature of marketing. The first company that is discussed in the case is the Ringling Brothers circus. The company from its establishment never changed their acts and their marketing parameters. Though their acts are perfect, they are good for a one-time watch as the acts repeat every time without any surprises. The company never changed its strategy to attract people. This shows a company's traditional mindset. At the same time, Cirque Du Soleil another company which started in late 1984 was more innovative and every time surprises its customers with new adventurous acts. For the Ringling circus, the target market was children and family so it kept its show more family oriented whereas the Cirque Du Soleil tried different human acts and targeted every group of customer to attract every age group. This scenario shows the poor marketing strategy of Ringling. As the circus is an all age group entertainment, it should segment its market accordingly to every demographic. With the change of customer's demand, a company has to change its product or service domain in order to withstand the high competition in the market which is clearly done by the Cirque Du Soleil. They took advantage and created the magic through their new acts and which increased the demand and as a result increased the revenue of the company. Customers were willing to pay a higher price in order to witness the surprising acts. This made the Ringling Brothers close down their show in late 2017 whereas the Cirque Du Soleil continued its operation.
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