(INSTITUTION NAME)
What is Marketing?
The updated version of the definition of Marketing, as given by the American Marketing Association (2008, p.1) is: “Marketing is the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large.”
However, this definition can be seen as a little vague. The primary purpose of marketing is to communicate and share information about a product or service that can help a consumer (or potential consumer) to determine the best possible choice between the options available to solve his or her requirements. Communication and sharing information underlines the core objective that lies in the center of any marketing activity. The purpose of sharing this information is to help a consumer make the best possible decision with the information available. In today’s consumer-centric world, thanks to the heightened degree of competition, there are multiple options for the consumer to choose from. In order to ensure that he makes an informed decision, it is the marketer’s responsibility to see that the maximum useful information is shared with the consumer to enable him in making that choice. In this process, the marketer is bound to use the tools and tactics at his disposal to attempt and portray the information about his or her product in the best light possible.
How is Marketing Contributing to Society?
The core objective of marketing is to communicate, drive awareness and help people make informed decisions about the things they want to buy, do or support. The main function of marketing is therefore to engage audiences. This can be done through direct or indirect communication. Direct communication lies in the use of media where the information is sent from the source directly to the target audience and comprises of print and television ads, radio jingles, flyers, catalogs and a host of other means. Indirect communication is when the brand or marketer can get existing customers or would-be customers to talk about the brand based on their experience with it. This is commonly known as word-of-mouth and in recent times, has been amplified by the use of social media to become a credible channel with wide reach. Engaging the community of users and ensuring communication and interaction is therefore the key definition of marketing. By driving awareness on a multitude of subjects, marketing helps create a better world in the long run. According to Seth Godin (2009), marketing is good when it helps people to make a decision that benefits them – whether it is buying a product, supporting a cause or influencing behavior to do good deeds unto others and themselves, even take notice of issues that they might not be aware of without the influence of marketing. Marketing helps in getting the message across, according to most respondents interviewed by Jonathan Anderson of UX Magazine (2011). Today, thanks to the use of the internet and social media, people can know and experience so much more beyond their immediate world, according to Wallman (2014). This has brought us closer together, bridged gaps between communities and continents; helped us understand more about the world around us or even out of sight from us. This is how marketing contributes, and it has done an amazing job. I would consider myself a good marketer if I can achieve this kind of change in important areas of society through my work.
How do You Respond to Consumerism?
Consumerism essentially grew out of the materialism of the 80s, when the need for more – more comfort, more luxuries, more products - drew people into the web of advertising. It was a time when innovation and human demand created a new generation of products designed to make our lives easier and more comfortable. However, this demand for more has today changed into the trend we see as consumerism. Thanks to competition and a growing capacity to spend, we have gotten into the habit of never being satisfied and demanding more each day. Our current style of marketing and the multitude of channels expose consumers to more options, thereby creating an environment where nothing is ever enough. There is always a feeling of wanting that little bit more, and this is where the behaviour turns negative. In spite of the fact that people have what they need; consumers want the latest, newest, shiniest toy available. To an extent, marketing is to blame. In the quest for selling their own products, marketers have collectively created an environment of greed among consumers. Thanks to the growth of options and the availability of finance to purchase them, people today own much more than what their earlier generations had, but still are less satisfied. This is what DeGraaf, Wann and Taylor (2014) have termed as Affluenza.
Marketing today focuses on getting consumers to buy their particular brand. Earlier, it was just direct advertising that reached the consumer. Today, with social media and the internet, the marketers have invaded personal space as well with friends, family and acquaintances all talking about their latest acquisition or experience, convincing others in turn that they too need to get the same. “Keeping up with the Joneses” has changes to keeping up with everyone on the planet, thanks to the influence of social media. With every new product, companies literally blackmail the consumer into wanting the next version of whatever he has, thereby pushing planned obsolescence and creating even more material demand. According to Leonard (2010), Americans consume the most products and resources on the planet and yet remain one of the lowest on the satisfaction measurement indices. This is a by-product of our consumerism. Today, marketers are engaged in convincing kids to buy products, simply to get over the veto that an adult can exercise through his or her rational decision-making. This is the most evil form of marketing and it revolts a true marketer to see fellow marketers engage in such behaviour.
As a marketer, these are clearly the negative aspects of a career that can be so positive in making a difference to so many lives. As a marketer, if you can influence change for good, drive awareness among the majority for something that affects a minority of the population and see change happen, that is the biggest achievement of all. Marketers like Seth Godin have been talking about the power of good marketing in its ability to change public opinion, and I believe in that power. While many see marketing as evil, it has many positives that need to be communicated better. In short, we marketers are doing a poor job of marketing ourselves.
Responsible marketing will lead to a better more sustainable world. As voices to control rampant consumerism rise, the same tools that bad marketers have used to promote this culture will help sanity prevail over the long run, and I hope to be a part of the marketing brigade that achieves this.
References
AMA (2008). Industry authority recasts role of marketing as an educational process and recognizes role of non-marketers for the first time, American Marketing Association, USA.
Anderson, J (2011). Is Marketing the Evil Empire, UX Magazine.
DeGraaf, J, Wann, D and Naylor, T (2014). Affluenza, Berrett-Koehler Publishers, San Francisco.
Godin, S (2009). Is Marketing Evil? Blog post, retrieved from http://sethgodin.typepad.com/
Leonard, A (2010). The Story of Stuff, Free Press.
Wallman, J (2014). 7 Rules for Selling In a World That Has Enough Stuff, Fast Company.
