MARKETING & SOCIETY: Notes, Essays

The marketing and Society module has helped me understand that Marketing is no longer only about using the Marketing Mix via the 4Ps, but also about being innovative and adopting new strategies. It’s about presenting a more coherent message to the audience in a consistent manner, considering that there are several ways to reach out to eh consumer. In addition, there are several other social elements, including ethics that marketers have to factor in in order to maintain a positive image of the company in the society.

In the past I have bought several products and availed of several services, primarily because there was a need for that thing. However, I never paid attention to the details, especially the manner in which those things were marketed and eventually reached me. However, exposure to the study of marketing and society (various concepts and theories) has now made me more conscious of the various strategies and designs that companies use to market their product. I pay more attention to the advertisements, if the messages are consistent across mediums, how the products are displayed, how it is packaged and so on. I am now more sure about what I like or dislike about the products that I buy (such as its packaging, design, impact on environment), and like like other responsible citizens I am also keen to know if the company does business ethically and is concerned about the community and the environment.

As the ecosystem around the consumer evolves and becomes more complex, certain marketing strategies become less effective and as a result innovative methods have to be adopted by marketers. Over the years new marketing strategies have emerged and existing ones have adapted to the current business environment. Today, Social Marketing, Green Marketing, Experiential marketing are some of the more recent type of marketing techniques that companies adopt in order to efficiently market their products and services. While most companies implement CSR and wish to be seen as a company that cares, more needs to be done in this area to make sure that companies don’t misuse it to gain undue advantage over its competitors.

Here, I will explore the following topics: Brand Experiences & Society, Design, Technology & society and Marketing & Ethics.

MARKETING & SOCIETY: Essays

You are required to produce a 3,000 word essay on the following topic: “How has exposure to the study of marketing and society helped me to understand how I consume and what influences my decisions and the society in general?”

This assignment requires you to reflect on your own experiences and general phenomena in society i.e. to analyse, interpret and learn from your experiences and not just describe situations or events. The comprehensive learning journal will help you to achieve this.

Make reference to your learning journal throughout, other personal consumption experiences e.g. purchase decisions, and social phenomena in general. You are expected to draw upon ANY of the topics (at least two) covered in the module and analyse your own consumption patterns as well as social phenomena, in relation to relevant theories and concepts (with appropriate referencing of research sources).

There are four important criteria you need to meet:
1. Make appropriate and well-articulated connections between the topics you have chosen to cover.
2. Explore all different perspectives (arguments and counter-arguments, advantages and disadvantages etc).
3. Engage in deep reflection on your own behaviour and/or social phenomena.
4. Use theoretical concepts as lens to reflect on your own behaviour and/or social phenomena.

SPECIFIC GUIDELINES

You should start by deciding which topics you would like to cover in your essay.
The learning journal questions related to every topic should guide your reflection and thought.
You are free to draw upon ANY topic covered in the module – you do NOT have to cover ALL topics covered in the module but you are required to cover at least TWO topics from the following:

Social Marketing.
Green Marketing & Sustainability
McDonaldisation.
Altruism and Non-Profit Marketing.
Food Waste.
Social Media & the Digital Age.
Design, Technology & Society.
Brand Experiences & Society.
Marketing & Ethics.

If you choose to concentrate on only two topics you need to make sure that you provide the appropriate depth of reflection and analysis.
You should make the appropriate connections between the topics covered.
You should demonstrate appropriate knowledge and understanding of relevant theories and concepts of each topic covered. You do not have to cover every issue, theory or concept which relate to the topics that you have decided to work on (for example: you might want to concentrate on some of the dimensions of McDonaldisation and the question of altruism vs exchange in Social Marketing). You are expected to demonstrate an understanding of the different arguments drawn from the academic research explored in the module. Please use APA style of referencing of ALL the sources used.

This is a reflective essay – therefore based on your understanding of relevant theories and concepts, it is expected that you reflect on your own consumption and social phenomena to illustrate your own arguments which should be appropriately explained.
Make sure you explore all perspectives, arguments and counter-arguments.

Introduction: You should start by introducing the topics that you will cover.
Main body: In the main part of your essay you should demonstrate an understanding of the relevant theories and concepts of each topic you have decided to cover and of their related academic arguments. You should reflect on your own consumption and on social
phenomena and illustrate your own arguments and thoughts appropriately. You should make successful connections between the two (or more) topics you cover.
Conclusion: You should summarise your thoughts and indicate on how the study of Marketing & Society has helped you to understand how you consume and what influences your decisions and social phenomena in general.

This is an essay therefore you should present your thoughts in an essay style, NARRATIVE manner instead of report-like manner. Therefore, please avoid sub-headings and splitting your essay into sections. Your essay should flow throughout.
This is a reflective piece of work therefore you are allowed to use first-person writing.
You should reference EVERY source of information you use (with no exception!) using the APA style of referencing (refer to School guidelines for further information).

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