Marketing Communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Marketing Communication - Essay Example (Pravat, 2003). Modern marketing communications is not just indicators of availability of products and services. Daily experience and our knowledge of marketing principles show that communication in marketing is much more than informing, since one can observe such actions as sponsorship, product repositioning, consumer targeting, image redefinition and brand renewal. (Varey, 2001). Marketing communication is a set of purposive activities, linked and coordinated to some degree. These activities are simply some of the actions that occur in a situation, impart some influence on the situation and are in turn influenced by the context in which they arise. Contexts are not isolated sets of circumstances that are easily identified - rarely do we have full knowledge Video games promote targeted marketing. Targeted marketing, refers to the concentrated marketing of a product to a segment of consumers due to the economic possibilities of the group, in terms of factors such as its size and growth rate. (Cespedes 1993). When marketers promote a product beneficial to a group of consumers, targeted marketing becomes ethical and is well-received by consumers. The soft and subtle targeting of potentially harmful products at vulnerable consumers has received criticism which includes targeting children with R-rated movies and using animal characters to promote cigarettes and alcohol (Wall Street Journal 1997).Consumer vulnerability has been the essence of marketing ethics. In numerous legal cases, the court system in the U.S. has defined vulnerable consumers as a group of people who, due to various idiosyncrasies, are sensitive and susceptible to the potential negative effects associated with using a particular product (Morgan, Schuler and Stoltman 1995). Marketing is an exchange between marketers and consumers that aims to satisfy consumer needs and maximize the return on investment for shareholders. There is a persistent tension between marketers' interests and those of consumers (Smith 1995). This conflict forms the basis for different positions on the ethics continuum of marketing practices (Smith 1995, 1993). However, placing consumers' interests against those of marketers on the ethics continuum may be too simplistic, because it may imply that marketing is a zero-sum game and reject the possibility of a win-win outcome (Smith 1995). Both marketers and consumers may form their perceptions of the ethics of specific marketing scenarios according to ethical principles such as rights, justice, fairness, and equity (Dunfee, Smith, and Ross 1999 Based on the website of the American Marketing Association commits itself to promoting the highest standard of professional ethical norms and values for its members. Norms are established standards of conduct that are expected and maintained by society and professional groups. Values represent the collective conception of what people find desirable, important and morally proper. Values serve as the criteria for evaluating the actions of others. Marketing practitioners must recognize that they not only serve their enterprises but also act as stewards of society in creating, facilitating and executing the efficient and effective transactions that are part of the greater economy.Behaviour can be modified when people communicate. This explains how some advertising and word-of-mouth interaction affect