In the 1800s, the well known financial services company, American Express, started out doing nothing more then shipping packages. In that business, they learned that "the most important things people needed to ship were money." After slowly progressing for over 100 years, they introduced their first charge card. They now have four different cards including the Optima card which is a true credit card, allowing people to actually borrow money. American Express has prided themselves on their ability to evolve and meet the needs of the market. However, as technology continues to advance in all areas, they must find new and creative ways to appeal to a tech-savvy market while still gaining an overall edge on their competitors.
I believe American Express must segment further then attempting to appeal to a tech-savvy generation but to more specifically, target all college-aged students. According to the case, their previous marketing efforts toward college students were overshadowed by the floods of credit card offers that college students receive from their competitors. However, it is near impossible to capture the hip, "young, tech-savvy consumer" without tapping into the college market. Instead of abandoning this market, American Express must differentiate themselves from their competitors through their innovative product offering and unique marketing offering. They should develop an enhanced version of their new blue card just for college students. This card should be an upgraded version of the standard college card given to students. It should have all the same logistic functions such as allowing access to campus buildings and dining halls. However, it should also be a charge card through American Express. The name of the card should be specifically categorized to th ...