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* Chapters 1 and 3 Question Assignment
* Anonymous #2
* MKT 201-WEB
* Summer 2008
* 6-6-08
Chapters 1 and 3 Question Assignment
1. (26 points) What is "The Marketing Concept" and how is it different than the
"Selling Concept?" The marketing concept is a viewpoint that focuses on the ideas of
marketing orientation. The marketing concept confirms the fact that an organization
strives to do well in order to become satisfied economically. In other words, an
organization strives for greatness in order to make money. The Marketing Concept is
based on getting consumers to purchase a product, rather than insistently pushing for
consumers to buy the product. The success of a business, according to the marketing
concept, lies in what the consumer thinks that they are purchasing, not what a business
thinks that they are producing. The marketing concept focuses on what the consumer
wants and needs, and will do anything they can to produce the items that are wanted and
needed by the consumer. In order to fully understand the consumer the producer must
research information concerning the wants and needs of the consumer, as well as what
their competitors are doing in order to sell similar products. On the other hand the
“selling concept” is an idea that is based solely on making sales. This concept does not
take into consideration the wants and needs of consumers. Basically, a product is
produced and then according to the selling concept the company would do whatever was
needed to do in order to get that item to sell. The sales concept uses more aggressive
advertising methods, and focus on collecting money. Often times, the selling concept
fails because there is no demand for the product. Therefore, no matter what the product is
and how well it is manufactured, without a demand consumers won’t buy. GOOD!
2. (24 points) Business today seems to be operating in a more ethical, or "socially
responsible" manner than it did 50+ years ago. Why is this true? Be sure to provide
a discussion of "The Societal Marketing Concept" in your answer.
This is true because society has become more educated about harmful materials that they
once used because “they didn’t know any better”. Since people have become much more
educated about issues such as smoking, cigarette companies can no longer lie in order to
make sales. Many of the advertisements from the past, stated thing such as “light
cigarettes that don’t irritate your throat” and “the brand more doctors smoke” were used
in order to get consumers to buy that particular product. Today, people know that light
cigarettes have just as much nicotine and tar in them as regular cigarettes. In addition, our
society has become much more focused on heath prevention and maintenance. Most
organizations have been almost “forced” to provide products that are healthy as well as
environmentally friendly. Another important factor in the ethical and socially responsible
sale of products is the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This organization approves
food and drug products before they can be put on the shelf for the consumer to purchase.
Many products such as milk now under go rigorous testing in order to comply with the
FDA so that their product can be available to purchase. According to the “Societal
Marketing Concept” some organizations choose to sell or not to sell products based on
how they will affect society and/or a particular consumer in the long term. This
marketing idea not only allows the company to build a reputation as honest, but also as
trustworthy because it encompasses the ideas of preserving the environment. These
products are not only environmentally friendly such as recyclable products, but also
include products that are less toxic to the consumer and society as a whole. Often times,
this marketing strategy is used in order to co-inside with the feelings and beliefs of a
particular organization. GOOD!
* Look at the four cigarette poster ads, and watch the two video clips for some
additional background on marketing/advertising from the past.
3. (20 points) The textbook argues that Marketing is important for Society, Business
and Personally. Explain several ways that Marketing is important to Society,
Business and our personal lives.
Marketing is vital to business in order for businesses to understand the needs and wants
of the consumer. It allows the business to please current customers and plan future ideas
in order to gain new customers. It allows the business to determine prices that are
comparable to the competition, and determine distribution and pricing of the produced
items. Marketing is especially important in the business world because all aspects of a
business must be at least familiar with the marketing ideas being proposed in his/her
workplace. Marketing is important for the society in the fact that there are many people in
need of products. These products range from food to automobile equipment and much
more, and without marketing prices of these items would be outrageous. Companies
develop newer and better products at almost a constant rate in order to increase consumer
purchases. Without marketing we wouldn’t be able to drive to our nearest supermarket or
Wal-mart and get products that are vital to everyday life. Last, marketing in our personal
lives because it offers many career opportunities. This type of business can allow a
person much growth personally as well as being able to climb the corporate ladder. Not to
mention, the more we understand about marketing making educated decisions about
products becomes much easier. Not only are we gaining perspective what marketing
actually is, we are also learning what to look for in a good product.
Nice Job Xxxxxxx! Keep it up!
Overall Score: 70/70