Some Positive Ways Marketing Affects Our Lives

Marketing and Society: Some Advantages Marketing Has an Impact on Our Lives

Marketing has been portrayed negatively over the years because of the perception that it encourages over-consumption and waste. However, marketing plays an important role in many aspects of daily life. Marketing, in addition to being an active component of the economy, has played an important role in developing and addressing social issues. Marketing tactics implemented by many companies have educated, motivated, connected, and inspired innovation among the audience in the treatment of multiple social problems. Nike marketing initiatives, for example, are primarily intended to motivate people to perform better and persevere in their endeavors. Consequently, it is paramount that one examines the positive ways in which marketing affects our lives.

Education through Marketing

One of the positive ways in which marketing affects our lives positively is through education. According to Baines et al. (2017, p41), various theories of learning in humans include classical and operational conditioning and social learning. From the multiple theories applicable to human education, members of the public can acquire knowledge, skills, and values. Through marketing and advertising measures, consumers learn the benefits of different products and even the adverse side effects that may result from the consumption of the identified products. A good example is the identification of adverse health effects identified in campaigns against tobacco and alcohol use. The UK government effectively employed this advantage of marketing from the nauseating rotten roll-up cigarette campaign to sensitize people regarding health effects of smoking (Baines et al., 2017 p.46). Furthermore, consumer education has been identified as a critical factor in sensitizing people about social issues such as human-environment engagement (Polonsky, 2011 p.1316). Through marketing and association of favorite brands with the identified issues, consumers learn the impacts of their consumption on social and environmental issues such as global warming and culture erosion. In the UK and globally, Lush the cosmetic company is a perfect example whose use of organic cosmetics, non-packaging, and recycling of Lush pots help inform people of the advantages of the natural products and the need to preserve the environment. Moreover, Lush proceeds to advertise their products as nature-friendly by incorporating messages why there is a need to protect the environment.

Creating Awareness through Marketing

Of equal importance is the creation of awareness of different subjects in the social arena. Through marketing, people can know about upcoming and current events in their locality and globally (Evans, 2008 p.193). One of the best examples of advertising that notifies people of current events is the brand-sponsored sporting events. In football, for instance, various brand adverts tell about different matches. Coca-Cola adverts notify about world cup matches while Heineken informs about Champions League matches. Greater awareness about the activities of charities and other non-governmental organizations is created through effective marketing and results in increased donations towards their activities. Furthermore, it is through advertising that people are aware of adverse effects of disease outbreaks and means of overcoming them (Evans, 2008 p.193). Such advertisement reduces the risk of contracting different diseases. More so, advertisements and campaigns by government authorities, foundations, and pharmaceutical companies play a significant role in creating awareness of various diseases. One example is the British Heart Foundation advert that creates awareness of the effects and devastation resulting from heart disease (Faull, 2015).

Behavior Modeling through Marketing

Apart from educating and creating awareness among the consumers, marketing also models behavior and responsibility. After acquiring knowledge of the effects of consumption of different products, consumers can develop their behavior around this information. One theory that explains this phenomenon is the theory of planned behavior (Baines et al., 2017 p45). In this approach, it is identified that marketers influence the critical elements of the theory, which are "attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control" (Baines et al., 2017 p46). Marketing influences the perception that people have of particular behaviors by presenting how others view the identified behavior. The #HandsUp for Gender Equality social media campaign, for example, is aimed at promoting gender equality and the abolition of gender-related violent behaviors in different communities (Women's Health East, 2017). The multiple campaigns on fitness products and services such as gym memberships influence the perception of exercise behavior among people and significantly affect people's behavior towards such action. In other words, marketing helps push people towards better living and habits.

Economic Benefits and Better Living Conditions

Another important positive aspect of marketing toward our lives is the improvement of economic benefits and better living conditions. Marketing creates demand for the multiple goods and services on offer in an economy, thus promoting increased consumption (Sherlekar, Prasad, and Victor, 2010). High rates of consumption translate to higher trade volumes for businesses and improved financial performance, hence leading to the expansion of such businesses (Moorman, and Rust, 1999 p.181). Expanded businesses create more employment for people in a given country, thus higher GDP. Bughin and Spittaels (2012, p.2) observe that in the period between 2002 and 2010, advertising has contributed to 5%, 15.7%, and 24.6% of the GDP in low, medium, and high-income countries, respectively. Large trade volumes and high employment rates in countries with companies that practice rigorous marketing provide the governments of such countries with large tax bases, which increases government spending on multiple social investment and infrastructure such as roads, hospitals, and the education sector. As a result, such countries experience economic growth and better living standards for their citizens.

Innovation and Effective Management of Innovations

In addition to economic benefits, rigorous marketing in society also leads to innovation and the effective management of such innovations. The need to market and reach broader audiences has resulted in the creation of new products and services and new means of marketing (Bhattacharya, 2013 p.147). The push to reach more people led to the development of computers, the World Wide Web, and even smartphones. The establishment of new products demanded the development of new methods of marketing in society, hence the pioneering of social media platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter. The establishment of these methods of marketing diversified the field of marketing from traditional media marketing such as television and billboard adverts to more personalized adverts on social media accounts. The development of the industry led to better growth for companies as they were able to reach out to a larger consumer base who were excluded from the exclusive traditional marketing. These new products and marketing measures increase the accessibility of goods and information for the average consumer.

Social Function of Cohesion and Connectivity

Marketing plays a significant role in the social function of cohesion and connectivity among people. Marketing is the engine behind effective interactions and connectivity between consumers, suppliers, and other businesses (Baines et al., 2017 p.56). Furthermore, the increased connectivity among buyers and sellers allows for associations and discussions to occur regarding the suitability and reliability of products. It is through marketing measures that marketers can gauge the feedback from consumers regarding the employed marketing vehicles and the goods and services being sold. Improved discussions and connectivity among consumers enable the identification of detrimental products and morally degrading adverts. A good illustration is where consumers can identify discriminatory advertisements and raise concern.

Reduced Consumption Risks

Reduced consumption risks are other advantages drawn from the efforts of daily marketing by various companies. The prevention of marketers from lying and making misleading claims about the products advertised by governments through various regulations greatly reduces the risks associated with consumption. In the UK, these laws are detailed in the Control of Misleading Advertisements Regulations 1988 and are enforced by the Advertising Standards Authority (Jackson et al., 2000, p.605). Furthermore, the knowledge and information given in the adverts help consumers make informed decisions regarding the reliability of products and services purchased and if those goods align with the values advocated by a given consumer. Take the adverts about smartphones, for instance, the performance, water resistance, display features, and storage capabilities are some of the facts presented to consumers to enable them to make informed decisions in choosing their preferred phones. It is through an advertisement that those with cultural and religious bias can ascertain the contents of different products and producers can avert any risks of negligence on their part.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is clear that marketing does indeed affect our lives positively. Marketing serves as an educating tool as it disseminates information and knowledge about different products and creates awareness. Consequently, marketing becomes an integral part of our lives engaging even our social sides such as relationships via loyalty habits created by brands. Eventually, marketing proceeds to challenge us to emerge from the comfort zones and enjoy the offers of the world.

References

Baines, P., Fill, C., Rosengren, S. and Antonetti, P., 2017. Fundamentals of Marketing. Oxford University Press.

Bhattacharya, C.B., 2013. The importance of marketing for social innovation. In Social Innovation (pp. 147-154). Springer Berlin Heidelberg.

Bughin, J. and Spittaels, S., 2012. Advertising as an economic-growth engine. Media Entertainment and Information, pp.1-3.

Evans, W.D., 2008. Social marketing campaigns and children's media use. The Future of Children, 18(1), pp.181-203.

Faull, J. (2015). British Heart Foundation kickstarts ‘emotional punch’ strategy with hard hitting campaign. [online] The Drum. Available at: http://www.thedrum.com/news/2015/08/24/british-heart-foundation-kickstarts-emotional-punch-strategy-hard-hitting-campaign [Accessed 16 Nov. 2017].

Jackson, M.C., Hastings, G., Wheeler, C., Eadie, D. and MacKintosh, A.M., 2000. Marketing alcohol to young people: implications for industry regulation and research policy. Addiction, 95(12s4), pp.597-608.

Moorman, C. and Rust, R.T., 1999. The role of marketing. The Journal of Marketing, pp.180-197.

Polonsky, M.J., 2011. Transformative green marketing: Impediments and opportunities. Journal of Business Research, 64(12), pp.1311-1319.

Sherlekar, S.A., Prasad, K.N. and Victor, S.S., 2010. Principles of marketing. Himalaya Publishing House.

Women’s Health East. (2017). #HandsUp for Gender Equality - A Social Marketing Campaign for the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence - Women’s Health East. [online] Available at: http://whe.org.au/2015/12/22/hands-up-social-media-campaign-16-days-of-activism-against-gender-based-violence/ [Accessed 16 Nov. 2017].