VIEWS ON MARKETING

MY VIEWS ON MARKETING

Some observations about marketing and its effects on consumers and social structures.

INTRODUCTION

The concept of MARKETING is a very interesting subject. It is a tool having a tremendous influence on all of us, which do not always realize. There are two sides to this argument; we use the positive elements when looking for a product to cover a specific need and we are at the same time victims of marketing campaigns. I divide these campaigns into two groups, the first one consisting of factual and honest information about a product or service I need for an explicit purpose, the second group I have named unscrupulous manipulation unfortunately used to day by some companies, organizations, churches and governments.

The full study of the marketing field is comprehensive as it involves economics related to private businesses as well as the execution of public policies. Marketing is integrated in our lives used by our communities as well as by companies producing or selling merchandise or services we need. In exchange we today pay for products with money and for the social services we pay with either money or contribute with other means to the development of the social structure.

In order to form an opinion you need to know just a little about the history and I find this very motivating to look at since the development from the early days until now in 2009 in itself is a topic with an unlimited number of angels, viewpoints and methods used for both groups as mentioned above. It is actually an academic field that did not become perceptible worth studying before many years after the Second World War.

DEFINITION OF MARKETING

There are many definitions and they have changed in tune with the development. One I like is this one: Marketing is the total of activities involved in the transfer of goods or services from the producer or seller to the consumer or buyer, including advertising, shipping, storing, and selling. So far so good. But when did it actually begin? It is of course not possible to determine an accurate point of time, so let me just stroll through the various scenes as I see them.

SHORT REMARKS ABOUT THE HISTORY OF MARKETING

Did it actually start with Eve and Adam? Eve had the apple, Adam was hungry, so Eve was able to deliver him a product he needed. Rule number one; you can only supply what the market needs. The question is of course, how did Adam pay for the apple? Or had he already done that by giving one of his ribs? All right I know I am not correct and I do not intent to offend anybody with this remark.

However for centuries to come marketing took place as an exchange of either goods or services and when the process was systematized the business took place on local markets to start with, then when the infrastructure improved the markets started to exchange on a much broader scale first locally later internationally. Often products were exchanged for products maybe better known as barter and money was considered a commodity much later to become the recognized parameter for value of commodities, products and services.

In summing up above remarks the previous ways of trading on markets offered excellent personal contact, fast and solid information from the customer (you faced him), so no need for sophisticated market analysis, he would tell you right away what he thought about your product. So at that time it was easy to realize rule number one, you can only sell, what the market needs and two you can only get the price for your product the customer is willing to/or can afford to pay.

MARKETING TODAY

Today the human contact is replaced with the INTERNET that has become the biggest marketplace in the World and products are made in huge quantities and moved from one end of the World to the other with limited problems. The Marketing Tree has become a forum for top educated scientists in mathematics, statistics, business economies, national economies, physiology, sociology and finally communication.

So today I see MARKETING as an old tree, a huge trunk with a lot of branches each one representing a specific marketing tool to be used in the whole marketing process. But the branches have all twigs. So I give a name to each branch and twig and since I work much with modern communication tools I will shortly list up some important steps: Gutenberg, magazines, advertising in magazines and newspapers, billboards, trademarks, radio and television, telemarketing, E-commerce, guerilla marketing and the dot.com fever.

Information is the keyword since information equals know-how and knowledge equals power. Information has always represented a power base first used by priests to control the herd, influencing the social environment and is still today used by all religions. So how did we get from the information flow supplied by the priest on the pulpit to the Vatican using the Internet? The business world has also taken advantage of the technical development in the communication tools.

The significant change in the development is due to the consequences of the industrial revolution. The marketing process became the link between the producers and the users. This is logical and understandable, but what I do not appreciate is the methods used in modern marketing through which now many organizations and companies manipulate with people. Modern science forms part of the new methods, which are influencing persons, their core values  and more importantly trying to change consumers views on what they really need resulting in different consumer behavior. I often have this picture in my head: We are objects living in a house with windows all over and being studied from the outside by super-engineers, who feed the Internet Robots with sophisticated music and we all dance as they like. I am the opinion that Maslow is very accurate in his description of our needs. And I get annoyed when some try to convince me that they with help of the Internet can “create” needs. That is pure manipulation to which I strongly object. In another article I shall give my views on some companies’ manipulations with kids watching TV. Adults can make observations and protect themselves kids cannot and are easy victims. Any marketing operation must be fair and not violate moral and ethical codes.

PROFITABLE MARKETING

OK I do acknowledge the fact that if used in the approved manner Marketing can make wonders. It can help an IDEA to be realized, no need to give examples of that. I also acknowledge the fact that for many products the total marketing costs are often more than 50% of the selling price, so marketing has a tremendous influence on any country’s GNP. Per se marketing forms a vital part of the modern society; it keeps the consumer spending “running” and as a consequence a high production both of equal importance to the turning of the financial wheels.   So marketing is essential, it costs a lot but executed in proper manners it will result in a good ROI.

If you wish you can read more about me here

CHONBURI

October 12th 2009

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