Worshiping celebrity heroes is a worthwhile activity. Discuss
As far as it can be remembered in the history of the world, human beings have worshiped others who seemed to be bigger than the general public. Apparently, such “larger than life” people have sought for inspiration, as a way of running away from the routine, ordinary lives, as well as hope. In the current day, in the U.S., people have taken this practice to a higher new level. For instance, the social media such as Twitter and Facebook have greatly driven the fascination of wishing to know more about the lives of the celebrities (Cashmore, 2006). Notably, some celebrity gossip is found to be normal and socially healthy. On the other hand, an excessive level of the celebrity worship, driven by the media, is an indication of a mental illness.
With no doubt, human worship is not something that is new in the world. From the time of Jesus Christ, up to the time of the Greek mythology gods, people have been looking towards a ‘greater power' to worship and idolize. Nevertheless, the American people have considered this need to worship and idolize to high extremes (Ferris, 2007). Reportedly, according to James Chapman, there has been the identification of a new psychological condition; “Celebrity Worship Syndrome” or CWS (Chapman, 2012). On this same note, North et al., (2007) has made an observation that such extreme kind of celebrity worship is linked to poor mental health. Furthermore, a study conducted by Adrian North together with other researchers indicated that individuals having intense celebrity worship get involved in an attribution style, which believes “the cause of most events in the person’s life are external, that is, they are outside the control of the person experiencing the event’ (North et al., 2007). Indeed, this extreme worship has been considered as being a consequence of poor mental health, anxiety, and depression (North et al., 2007).
Remaining updated with the occurrences in the life of a celebrity can become an effectual communication tool. The American people who keep themselves updated about the recent celebrity propaganda have utilized such information as the conversation starters. According to Stambor (2006), social gossiping may be a consequence of people’s revolutionary past in which individuals had to learn the much they could about romances, social networks, and enemies to survive (Stambor, 2006). In this regard, human beings have inherited such gossip survival characteristics in the current day and apply them as a way of ensuring facilitation of social bonding. Apparently, there is no person who likes an individual who does not have anything to talk about.
In most cases, the celebrities are considered as being a means of inspirations. In this sense, the exciting celebrity’s lifestyle is something many people perpetually long to have and pursue. For instance, the TV show such as the American Idol has manufactured several overnight celebrities, giving inspiration to many people to pursue the star status that is now reachable. However, some of these people do not even seek to become celebrities themselves, but they instead are satisfied with associating closely with the famous and wealthy.
The social media networks and information availability have greatly made it easier for people to follow celebrities and develop intense unhealthy obsessions. In this case, a large number of Americans have been made to completely immerse themselves in the celebrities’ lives. For example, the marketing tool such as "Follow me on Twitter and Facebook" is usually used by the celebrities to ensure that their fans stay informed concerning their upcoming performances. Undeniably, social media networks have served to facilitate a passion for learning the various events, which surround the lives of the celebrities.
“Children should not be exposed to advertising and marketing.” Discuss this statement.
Adverting and marketing to children is an emotionally-charged and sensitive issue since children can be easily influenced to try out with new things. Advertising, product proliferation, promotions and media targeting children is a major concern to the industry, lawmakers, and the general public (Advertising Educational Foundation, 2015). Indeed, children’s adverting is being attacked because it is considered to make children want what they do not need and exerts much pressure on the parents to respond to such needs (Lamb & Brown,2006). In the most recent times, advertising was blamed for being a factor in contributing toward children obesity. Whereas there are currently several regulations in operation than it has ever been before, there is a public call to have even more (Advertising Educational Foundation, 2015).
Notably, there is much that is at stake; the children’s market in the current day is approximated to account for $500 billion, constituting both personal spending that stands at $200, basically for soft drinks, apparel, entertainment, snacks, and $300 billion in the spending that is directly influenced in the same categories together with toys, food, beauty and health aids, accessories, school accessories and school supplies (Advertising Educational Foundation, 2015). Moreover, another five hundred billion dollars of the purchases that influenced indirectly in some categories including technology, recreation, and vacations among others. Altogether, the children’s power to spend is in the bracket of one trillion dollars (Kurnit, 2015). Based on the findings presented by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the average kid watches approximately 4 hours of TV per day and sees over twenty thousand commercials per year, mostly for high-sugar, high-salt, and high-fat foods and snacks (Akst, 2002). Indeed, by the time children in America complete high school, they would have spent almost as two times as many hours watching TV as in the classroom (Brody, 2004).
Childhood obesity is fast turning out to be an international health concern while figures approach epidemic levels. Reportedly, about sixteen percent of adolescents between ages twelve and nineteen years, and fifteen percent of children between ages five and eleven years are obese at the present (Brown, Lamb & Tappan, 2009). Ostensibly, such figures are more than two times for children and three times for adolescents in the course of the last two decades.
The issue of obesity and food marketing had only found its way in the local courts and state legislatures in the month of June 2004, at the time Senator Harkin introduced a wide bill to deal with obesity and chronic disease (Gunter, Oates & Blades, 2005). Apparently, this bill was not passed during that time but is considered to be a potential sign of the legislation to come that would grant the Federal Trade Commission the power to control advertising to the children (Advertising Educational Foundation, 2015). At the present, this issue is acquiring momentum at a quick rate with the calls from the WHO at the APA.
Advertisers are supposed to acquire the children’s trust, together with their parents via honest and effective advertising. Moreover, the parents have to take an initiative to protect their children. In this regard, they need to engage in monitoring what their children read and watch, determine the way the children spend their free time, and teach them to turn out to be informed and responsible consumers. Undoubtedly, advertising to the children will turn out to be a less controversial issue only at the time parents and advertisers assume shared responsibility for the content and exposure of the advert. Concerning the broadcast advertising, it can be believed that the present-day guidelines, the keen review and authorization process of the commercials presented by the advertiser, the network or station airing the advert, offer adequate controls for the children advertising. The AAAA, whose agencies put over eighty percent of all nationwide advertising in the United States, point out that product adverts aired at the time of children’s programming are made in a way to portray the features of the product and give an explanation of its advantages in terms that are understood by children and responsive to their special perceptions and attitudes (Advertising Educational Foundation, 2015).
When you graduate how can you ensure that you have a successful career in marketing? Discuss.
Notably, having an interest in commercial awareness and people are useful to start a graduate career in the field of marketing. Indeed, such skills are typically developed in the social science and marketing degrees. One can demonstrate these skills in several other ways; through extra-curricular activities and a part-time job. The academic skills acquired from the marketing degree including the capacity to carry out the interpretation of intricate information, solving procession, and working within deadlines will assist in opening doors into the career in the marketing field (The skills, 2016). Apparently there are several skills that are required for one to enter the marketing career. One of such skills is communication and interpersonal skills and in this sense, one will be required to develop an understanding of the consumer together with his or her need, and make an expression of these to the team members and undertake the translation of these needs into the marketing effort (Zambito, 2015). For this reason, having good communication skills is imperative. Moreover, one has to be creative and depending on one’s role, he or she may be required to help with the design and layout of media or press releases. In addition to this, the new graduate’s work may involve making contributions to the idea planning stage. In this sense, innovation might be likely valued as consumers become more media-savvy. Another important skill to be developed is teamwork, and one will be required to strive towards the realization of a marketing campaign that may involve various media and elements. In this case, it is imperative that executives, creatives, and accounts managers work intimately to make sure that the customers’ needs are satisfied, and the marketing campaign is both cohesive and effective. Moreover, one is required to develop the information technology skills. Here, it is important that one should have sufficient information technology skills since marketing is increasingly being carried out via the online channels (McKevitt,2006). Moreover, one should be in a position to gather, store, and release market data in an efficient manner by utilizing computer technology. Lastly, a new graduate marketer ought to develop commercial awareness to the desired level. Having knowledge about the consumer needs and wants, the market, and business requirements of the customer will enable one to be quite successful in serving a marketing role (Paquin, 2016). The company press releases and publications, and being updated about the financial markets can assist one in developing such knowledge.
The contacts and skills developed outside one’s studies can assist in finding a clear way into the marketing field. Engaging in organizing events for a department or society, managing budgets, writing newsletters, playing roles on committees, all indicate the project management skills one will need for a career in marketing. In the same way, exhibiting the way one developed the organization skills via combining social life, studies, and a part-time jobs will help the graduate’s application (The skills, 2016).
Furthermore, one's interest can as well offer an avenue into the marketing career. In such a case, if one is passionate regarding music or sport, for instance, or if one wants to go on building his or her knowledge of one's subject area outside the academic field, he or she should consider publicity or marketing roles in the specialist organizations. For instance, the arts and sports organizations may value the graduate’s dedication even though he or she may not be having the marketing experience. Moreover, another way for one to increase his or her chances is to undertake a postgraduate course or pursuing a professional marketing qualification. Undeniably, this will show one’s commitment to the potential employers. At a later stage, this can be followed by other qualifications that lead to chartered status.
Is it acceptable to buy counterfeit brands?
Clearly, it is understood that the brand of a particular business organizations is found to be its most important asset. However, the success of a certain brand may lead to having counterfeits (Maldonado & Hume, 2005). Ideally, the counterfeit brands’ history of the luxury commodities can be traced back in A.D 27. During that time, the wine Merchant Gaul took an initiative to fill wine bottles with some cheap local wine and started to sell them as a luxurious Roman wines. At around the nineteenth century, counterfeits of the valuable trademarks turned out to be broader, and counterfeiting turned out to be a criminal activity, which called for punishment in some countries in Europe (Wilcox, Kim,& Sen, 2009).
Among the several product categories of products that can be counterfeited, one of them that is counterfeited is the luxury products. In this case, the luxury brand is usually linked to counterfeiting since the counterfeited luxury brand has to copy and an existing popular trademark brand (Cordel, Kieschnick, & Wongtada, 1996). In the meantime, a brand that is successful ought to have the greatest attractiveness level to those who counterfeit. In the case of the non-deceptive counterfeiting, some previous studies suggested that if the consumers are not attracted by a particular brand, the, there will not be such an issue as having a counterfeited brand (Cordell et al., 1996). There some studies that present an argument that the decision to purchase a counterfeit commodity does not just represent a commodity choice, but represents a brand decision as well (Gentry, 2006; Eisend & Schuchert, 2006). Because the counterfeit product quality has realized constant improvement in the course of the years, there are some counterfeits that are considered to be of similar quality, similar design, and improved durability in comparison to the original brands. According to Turunen and Laaksonen (2011), the perceived authenticity of the luxury commodity is the great different to the counterfeit commodity. Indeed, the counterfeit is considered as being the pursuit of luxury by copying its attributes; however, it can as well be put on the brand level (McCartney, 2005). In this regard, because a debate is presented that luxury products are classified into different categories depending on the people concerned and the context, a counterfeit product can be considered as belonging to the lowest class of luxury brands, and those who buy them may gain from the “look-alike” brand rather than the original brand as the props helping them to obtain the desired gains. With no doubt, from this standpoint, it is essential to connect the luxury consumption value and the counterfeit luxury consumption. In this regard, Virgneron & Lester (1999) present an argument that the luxury brand commodities have both personal and interpersonal meanings. Apparently, the interpersonally inclined motivation is far more driven externally and serves to represent the desire of the consumer to please others. On the other hand, the personal inclination such as materialism and hedonism are driven internally and give a reflection of the self-fulfillment goals. Accordingly, it is important to comprehend the counterpart of the luxury from the personal and interpersonal aspects. Fundamentally, it can be concluded that the consumption of the counterfeit of the luxury brands may make a person to construct a positive image for his or her social needs. Additionally, the experience of consuming counterfeits of luxury products may be driven by self-pleasure and self-need.
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