Marketing: role, functions, meaning, critics, regulation

Résumé du document

This dissertation is composed of three chapters. Basically, we will be looking at the growing necessity for companies to practice the concept of marketing in order to ensure that they are competitive enough in the market. Considering the increase in the implementation of marketing practices, it is important to discuss the elements that contribute both to its success and failure. Chapter one examines marketing in its business context where as chapter two emphasizes the main critics of marketing functions and their impact on individual consumer welfare and finally chapter three gives insights about marketing regulations.

Extraits

[...] The current problem is that not all marketers follow the marketing concept. Some companies put into practice questionable marketing practices that affect the public interest. They seem innocent in themselves but strongly affect the society as a whole. Marketing people face dilemmas. They are divided between meeting basic needs, educating and protecting consumers and reaching economic efficiency. Marketing receives many critics that claim that marketing functions hurt individual consumers and the entire society. Let's examine these critics closer. Part 1. [...]

[...] ( “Selective translation” (“Traduction selective”), Que Choisir number 378, January 2001. ( organic to be true” bio pour etre Que Choisir number 378, January 2001. News ( BBC online. http://www.bbc.co.uk ( CNN Interactive. http://www.cnn.com Publishers ( Butterworths website. http://www.butterworths.co-uk Product: Anything that can be offered to a market for attention, acquisition, use or consumption that might satisfy a want or a need. It includes physical objects, services, persons, places, organizations and ideas. Cognitive: Thoughts consumers develop that support or counter claims made in marketing communications. [...]

[...] Bursts of advertising are sorts of interruptions polluting people's mind and that can cause irritation. They are viewed as Advertisements interrupt radio and TV programmes, billboards waste landscapes, so many repetitions that annoy a part of the audience. Nevertheless, this pollution is necessary as far as marketers are concerned. Advertisements are numerous but they aim at reaching a target. And in a context of mass communication, all people exposed to ads are not compelled to be the desired targets. They are bored in so far as they are not interesting in the product. [...]

[...] Firstly, the concept of consumerism. It founds its origins in America in the 1890's. Consumerism is an organized movement of citizens and government agencies to improve the rights and power of buyers in relation to sellers. Traditionally, buyers' rights include the following: ( The right not to buy a product that is offered for sale ( The right to expect the product to be safe ( The right to expect the product to perform as claimed Furthermore, consumer advocates call for the following additional rights: ( The right to be well informed about important product aspects ( The right to be protected against questionable products and marketing practices ( The right to influence products and marketing practices in ways that will improve the quality of life (control of ingredients and packaging) On the whole, consumerism aims at protecting consumers and giving them remedies in case of dispute with sellers. [...]

[...] The third type of deception is misleading advertising. It involves a claim-belief interaction. There, an advertisement interacts with consumer beliefs and results in a misleading claim. Deceptive practices include larger areas: deceptive pricing, promotion and packaging. Deception occurs when consumers acquire false beliefs because of exposure to advertising. Nowadays, these practices are prohibited and controlled. Here is an example of deceptive packaging with misleading labeling in France. Organic products are in vogue. In large Carrefour stores, a consumer has found beetroots. [...]