MARKETING AND ITS DISCONTENTS

• Criticisms of marketing (two areas)– Excesses (e.g., shoddy products, bad taste, etc.)– Expertness (e.g., manipulator, hidden persuader, etc.)– >>>May be primarily the result of the mechanics of modern life

(especially media and audiences)• The true practice of marketing involves:

1. Identification of market opportunity (market segmentation, etc.):SEGMENT

2. Target identification (selection of program target):TARGET3. Program development (Marketing program): PROGRAM AUDIENCE

>>>>These three groups: SEGMENT,TARGET, AND AUDIENCE, should coincide, to the greatest extent possible.

However, these three groups rarely coincide and are rarely synonymous

MARKETING EFFORT AND CONSUMER DISCONTENT

TARGET

Audience reached by themarketing program

Target of marketing program

Segment with need

AUDIENCE

SEGMENT

Marketing Clusters and Consumer Reactions

CLUSTERS REACTIONS1. Segment, target, and audience Highly satisfied

2. Segment and audience Somewhat satisfied or frustrated

3. Target and audience Highly distracted or irritated

4. Audience Somewhat distracted

5. Segment and target Frustrated

6. Segment Frustrated

MARKETING AND ITS DISCONTENTS

• Those with most favorable attitudes >>>users• Those who are most likely to get mad

– In target, but have different values (#3)– With needs, but not in target (#6 and #2)

• Dilemma for welfare economics– Functional vs. Dysfunctional impacts of the same marketing program:

Tradeoff matrix– There may never be any agreement, but may be useful to get a better

picture– May help in identifying points for technical improvement in the marketing

process

• An explanation of a phenomenon is not its justification: should try to improve