Impact of Marketing on Society 

Marketing is the performance of business activities that direct the flow of goods and services from producer to consumer.  Marketing is a total system of interacting business activities designed to plan, price, promote and distribute want-satisfying products and services to present and potential customers. Impact of marketing on society “The authors propose a political theory perspective for examining the impact of the modern aggregate marketing system on consumer welfare and society. Specifically, they suggest that the benefits marketing delivers to consumers are similar to the conditions required for representative democracy.”

Informing Consumers

One of the ways in which marketing benefits society is by informing and educating consumers. Marketing often has a persuasive intent, but it generally begins when a company identifies a customer need and seeks to explain how its products or services meet that need. For customers with clearly defined needs, marketing provides a means of learning about new products and what they do. Marketing can also include more practical information to assist in making a purchase, such as addresses, phone numbers, product release dates, store hours and Web addresses.

Managing Consumer Expectations

Besides providing consumers with useful information about products and services, marketing can also help set and manage customer expectations. Consumers rely on trusted brands and the consistency that comes from brand loyalty. They also use information from consumer advocacy groups to learn about which brands are most reliable and represent the best values. Businesses use marketing to make consumers aware of major changes, such as mergers and transfers in ownership that affect product offerings or seek to improve quality. Government regulations prevent marketers from making false or misleading claims. This allows consumers to make informed decisions without as many risks as they would face if they had to buy without the benefit of marketing.

Its of 2 type:

• Positive impact
• Negative impact

Positive impact: Economic Benefit

Marketing drives a consumer economy, promoting goods and services and targeting consumers most likely to become buyers. Higher sales for a business that employs successful marketing strategies translate into expansion, job creation, higher tax revenue for governments and, eventually, overall economic growth. In addition, the marketing industry itself creates jobs and wealth as businesses seek new and innovative ways to promote themselves and their products. Consumer demand for marketing in new venues, such as cellphones, creates new branches of the marketing industry and furthers growth.

Modeling Behavior

Marketers work to understand consumer behavior and produce advertising that is most likely to influence it. This provides a place for behavioral researchers and economic analysts to model consumer behavior. By examining marketing data and its correlation to consumer behavior, analysts can learn about how and why people make the decisions they do. This is useful in crafting awareness campaigns for major public and social issues. It also serves to advance the fields of behavioral psychology and economic forecasting .

Marketing refers to the process through which businesses and organizations promote themselves and their products by communication with potential customers. Marketing includes all types of advertising, ranging from websites and television commercials to print and outdoor advertising. Businesses spend huge sums of money on marketing to improve their sales, but marketing also benefits society as a whole in several key ways.

It benefits to society in following ways

Informing Consumers

One of the ways in which marketing benefits society is by informing and educating consumers. Marketing often has a persuasive intent, but it generally begins when a company identifies a customer need and seeks to explain how its products or services meet that need.

For customers with clearly defined needs, marketing provides a means of learning about new products and what they do. Marketing can also include more practical information to assist in making a purchase, such as addresses, phone numbers, product release dates, store hours and Web addresses.

Managing Consumer Expectations

Besides providing consumers with useful information about products and services, marketing can also help set and manage customer expectations. Consumers rely on trusted brands and the consistency that comes from brand loyalty. They also use information from consumer advocacy groups to learn about which brands are most reliable and represent the best values. Businesses use marketing to make consumers aware of major changes, such as mergers and transfers in ownership that affect product offerings or seek to improve quality. Government regulations prevent marketers from making false or misleading claims. This allows consumers to make informed decisions without as many risks as they would face if they had to buy without the benefit of marketing.

Negative impact

Misrepresentation Advertising aims to present a product in the best light possible. There is some leeway in the creative process.

As the Gecko in the Geiko ads says, “That’s just a dramatization, of course,” referring to the idea that if you ask Geiko representatives for an English muffin, they’ll serve one up toasted with butter and jam. The problem arises when the dramatization crosses the line into falsely representing a product. Hefty fines can result from false advertising when levied by the Federal Trade Commission.

Unrealistic Expectations

Direct-to-consumer advertising for prescription drugs has resulted in unrealistic expectations about the effectiveness of drugs and their side-effects, according to the Food and Drug Administration’s study “Patient and Physician Attitudes and Behaviors Associated With DTC Promotion of Prescription Drug.” Voice-overs give the downside to the drug, but the visual images show healthy, happy people. It’s not unusual to hear that even death may be a side-effect of a prescription drug. Beauty and health products may also not live up to their promises, resulting in wasted consumer dollars. Disclaimers are often hidden in very small print on product packaging and in out-of-the-way spots in ads. False Images Advertising is ingrained in American culture, from children’s programs on Saturday morning to talk shows and prime time TV.

Advertising even invades movies through product placement. It’s not an accident when a movie hero holds up a can of Coke instead of Pepsi. Advertising influences how people feel about themselves  often in a negative way. Based on the images they see in advertising, women often feel they should be thin and beautiful and hold down full-time jobs while also being full-time mothers. Advertising communicates that men should be handsome, tall, athletic, caring husbands, thoughtful fathers and virile at all times. These images are often unrealistic and unattainable.

Children

In his study “Review of Research on the Effects of Food Promotion to Children,” Professor Gerard Hastings found there is a link between food advertising and children’s preferences regarding what they will consume.

Ads for many sugary cereals encourage children to ask their parents for those particular products  regardless of whether the products are good for the children. It’s not coincidental that the most heavily advertised toys during the holiday season end up being the top sellers. Children are susceptible to advertising.

Works Cited

1. Belch, G. E., & Belch, M. A. (2021). Advertising and Promotion: An Integrated Marketing Communications Perspective. McGraw-Hill Education.
2. Hackley, C. (2019). Advertising and Promotion: An Integrated Marketing Communications Approach. SAGE Publications.
3. Hastings, G., Stead, M., & Webb, J. (2004). Fear appeals in social marketing: Strategic and ethical reasons for concern. Psychology & Marketing, 21(11), 961-986.
4. Kotler, P., Keller, K. L., Koshy, A., & Jha, M. (2019). Marketing Management (15th ed.). Pearson Education.
5. De Pelsmacker, P., Geuens, M., & Anckaert, P. (2017). Marketing Communications: A European Perspective. Pearson.
6. Baker, M. J. (2014). Marketing Strategy and Management. Macmillan International Higher Education.
7. Laczniak, R. N., & Murphy, P. E. (2019). Ethics in Marketing. Routledge.
8. Bruning, E. R., & Tadajewski, M. (2016). The Political Economy of Consumer Behavior: Contesting Consumption. Routledge.
9. Armstrong, G., Kotler, P., Harker, M., & Brennan, R. (2015). Marketing: An Introduction (4th European ed.). Pearson Education.
10. Barrie, L., Harris, P., & Nyilasy, G. (2017). Exploring the effects of advertising on children: A critical review of the literature. International Journal of Advertising, 36(1), 22-50.