The Change In Marketing That Influences Change In Society

The change in consumer behaviour as well as consumption patterns over the years has lead me to realise that most of these changes are influenced by the information that is being fed to us. Access to information is constantly evolving with the innovation in the digital field. This has not only forced marketers to re-evaluate their marketing mix but has also made information highly accessible to consumers. Marketers tend to fuel our consumption needs with their communication strategies, a good example of this would be AXE deodorants’ advertisements for men. They constantly monitor youth culture's subtle shifts so as to stay hot on the hormone trail (Feifer, J. 2012). As individuals, we tend to forget the impact of our actions and focus on the appetite that is created be brands to promote our egotistical behaviour. O’Shaughnessy, J. , & Jackson O’Shaughnessy, N. (2002) state that societal members are extraordinarily concerned with the accumulation and display of material possessions. People tend to pay attention to the way they are being perceived in society, they want to be seen a certain way. It is believed that what they buy helps shape their identity. During the group discussion in Lecture 1, we chose to further expand on the point – fantasy & imagery of the world we live in.

This was significant to us because we realized that a lot of the times companies try to make their customers believe that their product or service is only trying to make you a better person, give you better skin, hair, etc. which in turn creates unrealistic expectations in this fictitious world. I say ‘fictitious world’ because none of us are perfect, but you learn to embrace these imperfections and that is reality, every individuals’ reality. Who is a brand to tell a ten-year-old she must only use pink things? What if she likes blue? I remember being very fond of blue as a child, but all the blue toys were almost always for boys. That rarely ever stopped me, I just bought a whole lot of Hot Wheels cars for my Barbies to sit on. A majority of companies in recent times are trying to break away from these social stigmas and be more inclusive to incorporate diversity. Barbie for example, has introduced dolls from around the world as well as dolls of different shapes and sizes which encouraged negative as well as positive reactions from the general public. As a marketer of the future, I hope to be focus on being ethical and more inclusive to help develop and positively influence consumers.