How Does Marketing Promote Conformity

Advertising remains within a perpetual state of change but the 1960s saw a significant change in the approach advertisers took to target consumers. Automation allowed for mass production of goods which meant that advertisers had to convince a consumer that a mass-produced item could be made personal and contribute to their individuality. Consumers were trying to be seen as individuals, this caused demassification as consumers began to be grouped into more and more refined categories. Advertising became less about what the product did and more about how the product contributed to individuality and advertisers used the counterculture and anti-consumerism as a way to target consumers. “The message in the new ads was quite simply, ‘buy this good to escape consumerism.’” (Reading, 7). This may be considered deceptive towards consumers as the advertising takes advantage of insecurities and consumers desperate want for social acceptance and individuality. There were multiple shifts in advertising formats the product-information format, product-image format, personalised format and the lifestyle format each targeting consumers in a different way, the final shifts were more effective in targeting those with an anti- ad mind-set

Many individuals is faced with the decision of conforming or choosing personal desire, and it is not an easy decision. It is hard because being shunned by others for being different is not a good feeling. Choosing to conform over personal desire, often leads to loss. On the other hand, personal desire is what sets others apart and gives them joy. In the poem, “The Jackhammer Syndrome”, Al Purdy discusses the good and bad memories he has experienced. He goes through his memories of when he had fun and made mistakes, but he reflects on what he could have done better. The author of “The Jackhammer Syndrome informs against choosing the welcoming joy of conformity over the long-term gains of personal desire. Making the decision to pursue conformity over personal desire may seem easy at first, but if the choice is to conform, the joy it gives will not last. Making the decision to pursue conformity over personal desire Conformity may seem to give joy at first, but it does not last. When Al is playing pool with his brother, he wants to win badly, but losses. However when he did not care to win, Al wins! Conforming can lead to loss but personal desire has much to gain. If the choice is to conform, personal identity may be lost. In my life, I recognize several instances in which I found several similarities between Al and myself. I have made decisions that were not always good ones such as swimming across long distances with friends.

Conformity is a concept that has been heavily researched in the field of social psychology. Conformity is defined as a change in behavior, beliefs, and attitudes due to group pressure perceived as real (encompassing the presence of others) or imagined (encompassing the pressure of social standards) (Myers, 2010, p. 192). The concept of conformity is a powerful influence on the tendency for people to arrange their thoughts, perspectives, and ideas with others, especially when in a group. This takes away from a person’s individuality because they want to feel accepted by others and therefore, a person will accomplish this basic need of approval through conforming.

Marketing is like a double-edged sword, if it is adopted properly, it will give profits to a company; however, if it is used inadequately, it will give harm. It is undeniable that today’s business operations have more intense competition level against each other due to the advancement of technology that allows people to receive more information. Marketing plays the key role in making products being recognized by consumers. To get people’s attention, some massages about the product need to be sent to the target market. With the high level of competition, the unethical marketing issues arise in order to make their own firms gain more

Conformity was once a common concept accepted by many Americans. Citizens were expected to participate in similar behavior, activities, and lifestyles. Advertisers used the desire to conform to societal ideologies in order to endorse and sell their products. However, during the 1950’s cultural revolution, Beats movement, individuals began dismissing the need to conform and began expressing their own individual endeavors. As the result of the rejection of collective conformity advertisers converted their strategies and began using freedom of expression as a ploy to get people to buy their products by promising them rebellion with said product. In the article “Commodify Your Dissent”, Thomas Frank examines the strategic ways advertisers

In “Commodify Your Dissent”, Thomas Frank insists that marketing no longer promotes conformity but, rather, promotes “never-ending self-fulfillment” and “constantly updated individualism” (para.6). I totally agree with the author. America is all about the idea of rebellious, finding different and being different. The idea of counterculture exists even early 1960, and it was never to stop. For example, jeans were made for the mine-workers; and it not suppose to wear outside of the house. However, the baby boomers decided to make a different, made jeans to be a trend fashion and wear it everywhere. American are always aiming differences and make it to be the trend, especially young people. Therefore, the producers create commercial, advertisement

The dominance of capitalist countries has facilitated the conformity of global civilization and cultural environments resulting in an increase of consumer cultures (Sarmela, 1977; Chaney, 2004). As capitalism experiences a natural and unavoidable expansion, consumers engage with consumer culture creating invisible products such as social status, identity, cultures, and ethical relationships (Sternberg, 2017). There are two sides to consumer culture that are the values held by society; those who conform and those who rebel (Turow & McAllister, 2014). All participants of society align with either submission or resistance to dominant ideas, values, and social structures. However, as a result of continued progressive diversity and fragmentation, the distinction between submissive and resistance are blurred. Nevertheless, those who resist and rebel are still participants of consumer culture. Instead they instead form sub cultures in society with alternative beliefs, values and ideas that challenge the mainstream (Chaney, 2004). In order to better understand the relationship between consumption practice and the resistance of consumer culture, theories of reflexive project of self, prosumers, lifestyle commodification, and incorporation will be analyzed in relation to the vegan movement.

The American Marketing Association defines marketing as “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” (https://www.ama.org/AboutAMA/Pages/Definition-of-Marketing.aspx). The marketing mix consists of product, price, place, promotion, which means that a company needs to sell the right product at the right price and in the right place, using the best promotion. Because of

Marketing has become more and more important, especially as the purposes of marketing expanded into performing marketing researches. Through marketing researches, it is asserted that marketing starts with a real customer need. Classic marketing, has, nonetheless, focused on making the need that will draw customers, and this stresses the advertising power of marketing (Woodall 2007, p.1284). This is also called the sales concept of marketing (Woodall 2007, p.1285). An example is how advertising lures people into buying a brand, because of the

'Marketing merely reflects the needs and wants of customers.' We all need to eat, drink and sleep and reproduce, this is all part of who we are as human beings. Therefore at the basic level companies will strive to satisfy these functions and keep doing so by once in a while showing advertisements that tells the public that they are around and can provide the products they need.

The individual person differs from the group. Advertisements tend to direct their attention to the group of people rather than the individual. The advertising identity expects us to be like everyone else. Obeying the authority of celebrities by wearing what they want us to wear. Us as individuals should be treated as individuals, not be treated like the crowd.

As Jobber(2012) was claiming, the marketing concept is "Achieving corporate goals by meeting and exceeding customer needs, better than the competition". Marketing is the process of telling a true story in an unforgettable manner. As a consequence, it became an essential tool in the competitive business environment. The main objective is to maximize the company 's profit by showing up with stunning adverts. Bearing in mind the development of technology, "It is well known that markets grow by the reduction of unit prices: this is how the computer became a household necessity", this could not be possible without a good marketing strategy (Kapferer 2012, p.205).

From the most common definition of Marketing, we can understand it in terms of determining, then, satisfying the wants and needs of the consumers. But many observers say Marketing goes beyond this- by creating wants and needs that may not yet be existing, then working satisfying them. If you agree with the second assertion, can you name 5 products or services that have as being new to the market, flashing back 15 years ago?

1. Consumers are often` confronted with incomplete information. How do consumers deal with incomplete information for (a) attribute values (b) brands? (give examples)

Different tactics have proven over the years to draw consumers in. These tactics have proven that there is not a bright future for mass marketing. The idea behind successful marketing now, is to not tell someone that a product will make them happy, but it is about showing them how a product will make them happy. An example of how this shift in marketing has occurred is with what Samsung did for its’ customers at random airports. Samsung didn’t put up giant billboards and come up with a catchy song to draw any and every person to their product, they instead targeted those who