Marketing has undergone several changes since the last decade. These changes were in accordance to the marketing trends and the changing lifestyle of the customers. The industrial evolution of the marketing era witnessed the biggest wonders, that is, personal computers (Thakor and Goneau 2015). In the initial stages, the professionals experienced uncertainty regarding the future prospects of these computers. This is in terms of lack of basic knowledge regarding the effective utilization. The experts had to convince the marketers regarding the widespread effect, which internet can display in terms of the efficient execution of the business activities.
The first successful release of mass-market browser, Netscape in 1994 reflects the success of the World Wide Web project. This success brought noticeable increase in the number of web users. As a matter of specification, it increased from 16 million to 70 million. There were simultaneous increase in emails and search engines like Yahoo, Google (Jones, Comfort and Hillier 2018). This was the period when e-commerce sites like Amazon, Ebay, Flipkart were launched for revolutionizing the market. Emails also served the purpose of advertising the latest trends to the customers. The search engines indulged in partnership with the e-commerce sites for enhancing the trafficking of the audience towards the brands.
Increase in the number of visitors on the websites resulted in the usage of techniques like keyword search, tags and ranks. The ranking system made the personnel aware of the customer approaches towards the adopted techniques. As a matter of specification, the technological tools found their application within the workplace. Typical example of this are emails, campaining software, on-site survey among others (McCorkle and Payan 2017). These techniques replaced the techniques of cold calling and email blast techniques, which were used earlier.
For maintaining the pace with the contemporary brands, the companies and organizations, now hire inbound agencies for setting the marketing information tools. The aim behind this is the generation of new directions in online marketing. The designs of the websites have been innovated for the attracting large number of customers. Herein lays the appropriateness of the concept of website personalization (Parke et al. 2015). Earlier, Google analytics were used on the websites for controlling the trafficking of the audience and reporting to the managers. Hubspot has replaced Google analytics. Visualizational effects and reports have conglomerated the parameter of sales and marketing. So many websites have turned up, increasing the responsibilities of the research and analysts in terms of picking out the relevant one. The search for the best is on the process, as the research and analysts are seeking the means of search engine optimization.
The ever-changing needs, demands and requirements of the customers have compelled the personnel to adopt social media marketing. This medium has enhanced the communication between the personnel and the customers, which was difficult in the earlier phases (Holiday 2014). Along with this, social presence of the brands enhanced their reputation, which was a gradual progress towards the penetration into the foreign markets. Typical examples in this direction are official websites, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram among others. The brand personnel started uploading the pictures and information of the products on the social media. This step proved beneficial in adding to the stock of customers. Apart from this, social media formed a platform for generating high revenues and increasing the profit margins. Informing the customers about the lucrative schemes, discounts and offers on the social media popularized the brands within the market (Andrews and Shimp 2017).
Various apps have been introduced for easing the process of business transactions. These apps have provided the customers with the opportunity to purchase branded products. Strong and flexible internet connection is also gifted to the customers to execute online purchases.
Decade ago, making profits through the means of social media marketing was just a hope. However, with the advent of the latest and modern software, the marketers have realized the value of social media marketing in terms of expanding the scope and arena of the business. As a matter of specification, social media marketing has enabled the brands to reign over whole world (Bathla 2015). Mention can be made of MySmartMoney app, which has eased the process of creating the budgets. Along with this, the software also assists the personnel in averting any arrears in the calculation of the expenditures. Training programs regarding the effective and judicious utilization of the systems and software have reduced the mistakes and errors largely.
Insight into ethics
Ethics is important in terms of preserving the fundamental rights of the customers. The concept ethical marketing relates to the practice of generating customer interest through the provision of quality products and services (Quesenberry 2015). Ethics reflects the extent to which the personnel can respect the purchasing power of the customers. Consideration into the social and environmental parameters enhances the corporate social responsibility.
Ethical marketing
Specifically, ethical marketing is a philosophy adopted by the marketers in terms of catering to the needs, demands and requirements of the clients and the customers. This is specially applicable for the advertisements, which the brands produce for gaining large scale customer support. In the process of advertising the newly launched products, the brand personnel attempt to promote the compliance with the core values of honesty, integrity and transparency (Isaenko and Tarasov, A.S., 2014). However, not all the personnel are of the same opinions, as the employees belong to different socio-cultural backgrounds. This diversity possesses the tendency of conflicts due to the difference in opinions. Conflicts destroy the main aim of achieving customer satisfaction. Herein, ethics attain a negative connotation. In this situation, the marketers experience a blurred vision regarding what is morally and ethically right and what is wrong?
Principles of ethical marketing
Truth and honesty are the prime components, which the marketers adhere while advertising their products and services. The personnel ought to comply with the standards and quality of ethics (Trehan and Trehan 2015). The purpose of advertising is clearly distinguished from the news and entertainment. This is in terms of levying the authentic information to the customers. Endorsement of the payments and services needs to be according to the terms and conditions. The customers are the prime concern for the personnel. Therefore, compromise with their needs, demands and requirements is against the marketing ethics. Consumer Protection Act is relevant in this context. This is in terms of ensuring the privacy and protection of the individual rights possessed by the customers. Along with this, compliance to the marketing legislations helps the personnel in achieving loyalty, trust and dependence from the customers (Wind and Hays 2016).
Major social criticism in marketing
The marketing practices adopted by the marketers are varied and wide-ranging. The marketing critics have mixed opinions regarding the effects of marketing practices on the customers. These include high prices, false promises through the advertisements, poor quality products among others (Isaenko and Tarasov 2014).
High prices
Inefficiency of the intermediaries results in the threat of the substitutes. This is a compromise with the quality of the products, possessing flexibility for customer and employee turnover. Innovative packaging and promotion costs cater only to the psychological aspect of the customers, which is a deviation from the usual functional value of the products and the services.
Deceptive practices
False promises are one of the deceptive practices adopted by the personnel. Here, the personnel envision the hot seat for achieving high profit in the business rather than customer satisfaction (Quesenberry 2015). These practices deviates the standards and quality of the ethics. Conspiracy in the marketing activities broadens the gap between the personnel and the customers. The attribute of deceptive contradicts the ethics, as it overlooks the respect of the customers.
Deceptive pricing
The critics are of the opinion that deceptive means are also used in the pricing process. These false pricing aggravates the complexities of the middle class customers in terms of possessing quality and branded products. Along with this, the deceptive pricing practice compels the marketers to fall prey into the illegal scandals and issues. These issues spoil the reputation of the brand.
Deceptive promotion
The critics point out the deceptive promotion techniques adopted by the brands for advertising their products and services. These techniques hurt the individual sentiments of the customers (Andrews and Shimp 2017). Especially the psychological parameter is adversely affected through these deceptive advertising techniques. These techniques reflect the lackadaisical attitude of the personnel in terms of the individual sentiments of the customers. What the personnel fail to understand that there are customers who are heavily influenced by the advertisements. For example, using false packaging information on the labels heavily affects the purchasing power of the customers.
High selling prices
Selling of insurances, real estates and properties are complicated. This is in terms of awarding high prices to the brands offering high investment returns on the purchases. These offers are suitable only for one-time offers for fulfilling short term goals. Adopting these tactics for long term goals might not be effective in terms of gaining competitive advantage over the contemporary brands (McCorkle and Payan 2017).
Conclusion
Technology has altered the workplace scenario. Mention can be made of the social media, which has expanded the scope and arena of the businesses. This expansion has led to the efficient execution of the marketing activities. Ethics in the marketing practices has enabled the personnel to gain loyalty, trust and dependence from the customers. The critics are of the view that legal compliance assists the personnel in averting the illegal scandals and issues. There has been much criticism regarding the social media marketing. Deceptive marketing practices contradict ethical marketing, acting as a compromise with the needs, demands and requirements of the customers.
References
Andrews, J.C. and Shimp, T.A., 2017. Advertising, promotion, and other aspects of integrated marketing communications. Nelson Education.
Bathla, S., 2015. Role of internet including social media sites in marketing and advertising. International Journal of Marketing and Technology, 5(8), pp.267-279.
Holiday, R., 2014. Growth hacker marketing: a primer on the future of PR, marketing, and advertising. Penguin.
Isaenko, E.V. and Tarasov, A.S., 2014. Automobiles selling organizations’ marketing communications assessment directions. Life Sci J, 11(9s), pp.239-242.
Jones, P., Comfort, D. and Hillier, D., 2018. Common Ground: the sustainable development goals and the marketing and advertising industry. Journal of Public Affairs, 18(2).
McCorkle, D. and Payan, J., 2017. Using Twitter in the Marketing and Advertising Classroom to Develop Skills for Social Media Marketing and Personal Branding. Journal of Advertising Education, 21(1), p.33.
Parke, A., Harris, A., Parke, J., Rigbye, J. and Blaszczynski, A., 2015. Responsible marketing and advertising in gambling: A critical review. The Journal of Gambling Business and Economics, 8(3), pp.21-35.
Quesenberry, K.A., 2015. Social media strategy: Marketing and advertising in the consumer revolution. Rowman & Littlefield.
Thakor, M.V. and Goneau, K., 2015. Towards A Measure of Social Advertising Skepticism. In Marketing, Technology and Customer Commitment in the New Economy (pp. 245-245). Springer, Cham.
Trehan, M. and Trehan, R., 2015. Advertising and sales management. FK Publications.
Turban, E., Outland, J., King, D., Lee, J.K., Liang, T.P. and Turban, D.C., 2018. Marketing and Advertising in E-Commerce. In Electronic Commerce 2018 (pp. 361-401). Springer, Cham.
Wind, Y.J. and Hays, C.F., 2016. The Five Forces Driving the Need for Change. Beyond Advertising: Creating Value Through All Customer Touchpoints, pp.5-24.
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