Potential Customers

Running head: REFLECTION ON MARKETING REFLECTION ON MARKETING Name of the student Name of the University Author note 1 REFLECTION ON MARKETING Introduction The Function Of Marketing Is One Of The Most Essential Aspects That Determines The Extent To Which A Business Organization May Be Able To Engage And Interact With The Potential Customers (De Mooij, 2018). I feel, that the manner in which a business organization may choose to advertise and promote their product and service offerings has an impact upon the representation of such products and services. The impact that such advertisements have upon the potential customers also directly influences the manner in which the different elements of society are represented. In the following sections of the essay, I will focus upon marketing and the representation used by organizations to influence the consumption patterns of individuals. In doing so, I will also engage in a discussion of the manner in which representations used in marketing shape the understanding of individuals about societal elements like sexuality, gender, ethnicity, race and ability or disability. Discussion I have always viewed the function of marketing in a business organization as a medium by which the brand may communicate with the potential customers. Marketing strategies featuring information about the products and services offered provides the potential customers an idea of the value that may be perceived by them through the consumption of the said products and services (De Mooij, 2019). In my own experience, I have come across several advertisements in various forms, which have significantly changed my perception about those products as well as the brand itself. I may cite one such example of a brand, which promises to deliver the customers with a high level of satisfaction from the consumption of the products. When I came across the advertisements of the global food and beverage company, McDonalds, I discovered that the tagline of the brand is Im loving it! This tagline being used by multiple individuals through multiple channels like television commercials, posters and social media, made an impression about the burgers and other such 2 REFLECTION ON MARKETING classic products offered by the brand. I naturally expected that the food and beverage products offered by the company would be of such high quality in terms of taste and appearance that I will really be loving it. The representation of the brand in this regard, had influenced my expectation of the products offered by it. However, it may also be mentioned that such representation of brands also influences perceptions about societal aspects in which the customers reside, such as the sexuality norms, gender, ethnicity and racial ideologies as well as the ability and disability of individuals. One such example may be provided in terms of my experience of discovering how different global brands market their products and services in different ways in terms of the different locations of their business operations. For example, the multinational American beverage company, Coca Cola uses the marketing strategy of brand endorsements (McKelvey, 2006). I have observed that the company always selects individuals of significant influence in particular countries in order to influence the brand perception of the customers in that market. In terms of the Indian Premiere League, the brand Coca Cola is endorsed by the popular cricket team of Kolkata Knight Riders, which is in turn owned by the popular actor in the country, Shah Rukh Khan. In this regard, it may be mentioned that the endorsement of the brand by the team has influenced the perception of the local customers in the market, who naturally view the brand as being closely associated with the cricket team. The ethnicity of the local customers in the market, who support the cricket team, is significantly influenced by the marketing strategy adopted by the company. Another example of a popular global brand influencing the idea of individuals on the basis of representation of the brand was observed by me in terms of the marketing strategy of Mattel, Inc. The brand of Barbie, as owned by Mattel represents the feminine gender in an idealistic manner. The perception about women as being stylish and well dressed is portrayed through the products offered through the Barbie brand of dolls. The targeted audience of this 3 REFLECTION ON MARKETING product are young girls in their early teens. This target segment is heavily influenced by the representation of the brand through the pink color and beautifully dressed dolls. When I was young, the Barbie dolls facilitated the development of my notion about the products that may be consumed by young female customers. The company Mattel, Inc. also offers other brands of toys to the targeted market of customers in which there lies a particular segmentation or categorization of the toys that are meant for the male gender and other toys that like that of the Barbie brand that are meant to be consumed by the female gender. The representation of the brand Barbie through the color pink as well as the demonstration of the of the fashionable and trendy dolls appeals to the young female customers and has a significant impact upon the consumption behaviors (Weissman, 1999). A significant aspect of marketing as used by business organization is to engage in interaction and conversation with the targeted segment of customers. There are various tools and mediums that may be adopted by these business organizations in order to maximize the efficiency of such interaction with the potential customers (Dwivedi, Kapoor & Chen, 2015). I have observed, that one of the most important tools used by business organizations in order to influence the perception and consumption behaviors of the customers is social media platforms. As being an active member in the global community created with the help of social media platforms, I have observed several trends that are followed by the different segments of customers. One such trend on social media platforms has been created through the feature of reels on Instagram and Facebook. The feature of reels allows individuals belonging from different genders, sexualities, ethnicities, races and religions to be able to express themselves using the powerful medium of audio visual. The manner in which these organizations enable interaction of different global communities is through the creation of innovative and attractive videos which can be viewed and shared by everyone. This aspect is representative of the main agenda of social media platforms, that is to connect the global citizens through a 4 REFLECTION ON MARKETING common network. I feel that such a representation of social media platforms through tactics of promoting the diversity of individuals and their amalgamation through one platform, influences the attitudes and behaviors of individuals significantly. I, as a user of social media platforms, have also been motivated to connect with people belonging from different regions of the world as an impact of the perception that social media platforms provide as a means of their marketing tactics. Conclusion In conclusion, I would like to mention that marketing helps business organizations to engage and interact with their targeted segment of customers. At the same time, marketing strategies adopted by business organizations also play an important role in creating representations, which in turn influence the manner in which individuals view various societal aspects such as the sexuality, gender, ethnicity, nationality and race of individuals. 5 REFLECTION ON MARKETING References De Mooij, M. (2018). Global marketing and advertising: Understanding cultural paradoxes. Sage. De Mooij, M. (2019). Consumer behavior and culture: Consequences for global marketing and advertising. Sage. Dwivedi, Y. K., Kapoor, K. K., & Chen, H. (2015). Social media marketing and advertising. The Marketing Review, 15(3), 289-309. McKelvey, S. M. (2006). Coca-Cola vs. PepsiCo-A" Super" Battleground for the Cola Wars?. Sport Marketing Quarterly, 15(2), 114. Weissman, K. N. (1999). Barbie: The icon, the image, the ideal: An analytical interpretation of the Barbie doll in popular culture. Universal-Publishers.