Marketing Priciples

This essay will try to give my opinion on whether marketing is evil or good. The essay will also try to address some of the good consequences and the bad ones of marketing. I have also tried to further explain the effects these consequences have on the society. I have also tried to tackle issues such as ethics of marketing and social well being and values.

Who wouldn't agree that marketing to some extent is good or bad? Before condemning marketing as an evil or praising it as good I am going to try and explain what marketing really is. My opinion of marketing is that this is a process involving every step between the product or service provider and the consumer that completes a trade. It is the process of making your product attractive and tempting for your intended customers. Marketing is much more than advertising alone. It includes the whole package - the right mix - an appealing product, affordable price, promotion that catches the eye and a distribution system that reaches the intended customer.

Now that I have explained briefly what marketing involves I will first get into reasons why I think marketing can be a good thing. First and the most important reason why marketing can be good is that it provides consumers with information and creates awareness of the product. For example the HIV/AIDS have created awareness of this disease among communities throughout the world. The campaign includes the creation and giving out information about the HIV virus and how it could be avoided through television, radio, and outdoor, online and print media.

Another good reason for marketing is that it encourages people especially younger generation to instill in themselves good habits, such as drinking milk. For example the "got milk" campaign featuring celebrities with a milk mustache and quote from the featured celebrity praising the goodness of milk and what it can do for you. For instance, in the ad that I am using as an example it's quoted: "Make it big! About 15% of your adult height is added during your teen years and milk can help. Who knows how big you'll get?" Featuring celebrities gives this campaign an edge specially reaching younger targets, since they are the ones most likely to be idolizing famous people, hence follow in their idols footsteps and drink milk. Celebrities featured range from Freddie Prinze Jr., Garfield to the incredible Hulk.

Some companies like run support campaigns along side their product. For instance M.A.C's AIDS fund campaign with their Viva Glam V range lip products' advertisements, which states that, "every cent of the selling price of M.A.C Viva Glam V lipstick and lip glass is donated to the M.A.C AIDS fund to support men, women, and children living with HIV and AIDS. This encourages people to buy the products which supports and donates money to a good cause, allowing the consumer to help support a cause as well.

Promotions such as the General Mills "Box Tops Education" campaign has helped cash-strapped American schools to raise funds. This campaign encourages shoppers to earn cash for their schools when doing grocery shopping, online shopping and purchasing with a credit card. The percentage incentive varies with the type of activity, for example they can earn up to 8% for shopping online, of course terms and conditions apply. But I think this is a great community service.

Now that I have given a few reasons as to why I think marketing could be good, let me divulge reasons why I think market could also be bad or evil. I agree with the critiques who say that marketing trivializes authentic culture. Marketers use cultural icons in order to sell and promote their products, but sometimes these icons are misrepresented, hence it reduces the importance of the icon and the culture represented. Sony was scrutinized for racist advertising when they ran an ad campaign for their white ceramic PSP. The ad features a "white PSP" model violently holding the mouth of a "black PSP" model. The image creates a racist picture of the conflict between white people and the black people, something our society has been trying to overcome.

Marketing has also prioritized consumption over citizenship. In the speech that President Bush gave to the USA, after the September 11th attacks, he encourages the citizens to continue with a normal life, "Fly and enjoy America's great destination spots. Get down to Disney World in Florida. Take your families and enjoy life, the way we want it to be enjoyed." The content of this speech was then used by marketers in their commercials promoting their products. The message relayed here is that a greater responsibility for citizens is to buy.

Many critics blame marketing for youth's loss of innocence, and I don't think this is entirely false. Studies show that children spend more time in front of the television then any other activity. The association of television with children is that television being the most popular and effective form of media, children learn attitudes and behaviors that are not entirely healthy.

Almost all advertisements show models that are slim and pretty, especially in beauty and clothes ads. These skinny models showing off great bodies in the clothes that the youth buy inspires them to want to look as skinny. The example I am using here is an MNG advertisement showing a skinny model with beautiful skin wearing a stunning outfit. Who wouldn't want that! These negative stereotypes of how a girl should really look like influences young girls to try and want to look like them. The message is clear, you look pretty in the skinny out fit if you are that skinny yourself, would shatter the most resolved self-confident people. Children turn to disorder such as anorexia and bulimia in order to look perfect.

And what about the products that encourage children to express sexuality. Abercrombie and Fitch products such as the thongs sold to young girls with labels such as "eye candy" and "wink wink", were intended to be light hearted and cute, but created major controversy. I think these seemingly innocent products sells provocative ideas to young and innocent. Products such as these forces the young to become prematurely sexual leading to dire consequences. The mindset of the young