Understanding marketing foundations in depth

Marketing explained in depth!

Hated by some, loved by others who see it as an art in itself. Advertising is part of our lives and shapes much of our consumer behavior or even citizen. And that insidiously and consistently. But advertising is paradoxical in that it is both one of the worst monstrosities engendered by the modern economy and one of its main pillars. If it now takes me want to talk to you about advertising is that it and its "spirit" are partly responsible for the disintegration of politics at large. Marketing and methods, thus influenced not only the way we eat, but also how men act public. Marketing also poisons the business management and strategic choices of major groups. We now prefer to do large advertising campaigns rather than investing in research and development. Because no matter the intrinsic quality of a product if it is essentially the ad campaign makes the success. What began as a minor activity aimed at introducing new products has become over time a new way of designing products. The marketing mind invaded everything including language and relationships, making the constant lies and exaggeration normal way of speaking. Just review the political campaigns of the last presidential election to be convinced of the character essentially marketing of modern communication politician. Dear instinctual capitalism Bernard Stiegler has imposed itself through the modern marketing. 

Many economists, including Keynes considered consumption as a mechanism to meet a personal need intrinsic to our nature. Of course early was vital needs differentiated needs sociologically constructed. With hunger, thirst, physical security as primary needs. And at the top of the pyramid, there are needs sociologically constructed. What the psychologist Maslow called the need to accomplish. However, this ranking is questionable because studies have shown that the needs sociological constructs can be as important for individuals as primary needs. We have here in mind the staggering example of this Chinese boy who sold his kidney for an iPhone. The famous pyramid of needs is still something quite intuitive thing and it is extremely taught in schools of marketing. Let's say it is a relatively rational psyche. Maybe a little too much for the social animals we are. 

 

Anyway economists, particularly liberals, have always seen the need as a direct descendant of the natural orientation of individuals. And that even if they admitted that these needs could be sociologically constructed and therefore influenced by the group. This is found especially in Veblen economist who gave his name to the Veblen effect considered in individuals with a higher price can produce an increase in consumption by the effect of social mimicry. I consume an expensive product to belong to a higher social class. The example of Apple products could probably demonstrate that Veblen effect. This thesis contradicts any liberal that the rise of prices automatically produces a drop in consumption and vice versa idea. Where Veblen effect is probably the strongest it's in the real estate sector. This is notably true in today's France which sees produce a spatial clustering socially centered. You buy an expensive housing for young people to go to good schools and have more chance to be sociologically well placed. Have a good school in a neighborhood is a way to drive up the local price per square meter. And this even at the risk of family bankruptcy because of debt largely due to housing beyond the means of family payments. All this leads us away still quite heavily on the rational individual and calculating our beloved Liberals. Or at least the computer purely economic sense. 

 

However at the time of Veblen advertising was in its infancy and the idea that one can influence the consumption sociologically constructed was not really imaginable. The Liberals in particular has always been placed on the idea of ​​a strong and rational individual, basis of any theory scaffolded. And the Liberals still have a hard time admitting that the individual is not rational. All they just accept the idea that he is misinformed with the theories of asymmetric information. This was also laughter John Kenneth Galbraith explaining at length in his works that we learned more about human behavior in marketing research in the classic economic education where the individual spends his time optimizing the movements of his portfolio. To accept that consumer demand is constructed, it is not simply the result of a natural need, but it stems from a mass manipulation. It is bury liberal ideal.A good example of that would be what Housegleam have done. It is to admit that the difference between capitalism and communism is actually much more blurred than some thought. And in fact there is between the two regimes that differential teacher and quality of domination. The advertising gasoline capitalism is ultimately much more effective than communism dictatorship. Especially if we admit that marketing is like a fish in water in the democratic system that poisons with formidable efficiency through mass media. 

 

Finally admit the effectiveness of marketing on demand and on the orientation of the public is finally admitting the weakness of individuals. So ultimately recognize the failure of the liberal thought, not only an economic failure, but also political. For to admit the effects of marketing on the ideas or the collective behavior of individuals is somehow nullify the rationalistic and individualistic foundations that underpin our essentially liberal political structures. If people vote for what the media mass, multinationals which they belong, then democracy is an empty word. Recall that it is theoretically the result of rational choice and each individual. 

 

 

Collectivization desires, a structural 

 

Marketing and advertising have emerged in their modern form in the early 20th century. We can undoubtedly say that he is the nephew of Sigmund Freud, Edward Bernays, who is responsible for the marketing and advertising methodology. He who had the idea of using extraordinarily unhealthy feminist suffragette movement to promote the image of smoking among women. This "feat" has guaranteed the future of marketing methods in an economy transformed by mass production and Fordism. What would have been used for mass production if this one had not been matched by a concomitant mass consumption? We do not would want to Bernays, in the sense that marketing had in fact become an ontological need for mass production. As we return here to the old dilemma of increasing productivity and unemployment constant consumption. More labor productivity increases and less work is needed to produce the same amount of good. 

 

From this unassailable logic was also born the horrific idea of ​​Keynes that traditional virtues of frugality that particular were no longer in a company to gain increasing productivity. There are awesome examples of companies that are doing it right which you can read about here. Frugality in a society with high levels of unemployment and poverty productivity caused by his constant consumption. It can scream at the horror on seeing a ton of idiots jump on the latest video game consoles or the latest clothing resulted. It should be remembered however that this unbridled consumption is inherent fruit of increased productivity. Ignore this contradiction between vice and virtue modern and ancient is not to understand the tragedy of the modern world. A world that knows internally that delusional consumption leads to nothing but the famous acetic virtues would lead to the ruin of all. Some dream of course out of the squared circle by the reduction of working time and the reorientation of our economic models. But we must remember in my opinion well as marketing and mass consumption associated with it are not there by chance. Their use remains a necessity. That nations are struck with a sudden crisis of virtues and virtuous acetic consumers will turn into virtuous unemployed and corpses. It is currently in Europe a perfect example of virtuous suicidal, even if consumption falls here for reasons other than a return to the virtues of yesteryear. 

 

The standardization of desires 

If we want to stop this infernal mechanical perhaps he should first analyze the problem rather than endlessly jabbering like thugs pubs how advertising is evil (these factions are very present my good city of Montpellier). Hurler virtue will not help to stop advertising. Nor scream for social justice will not improve the lot of the poor as it does not affect Europe and globalization in the image of our leftist friends. If marketing is an important weapon for modern production methods is that it streamlines the process of mass production ensuring a sufficient level of sales to recoup the investment. Marketing stems from a need to forecast and collective rationality on the part of firms. With due respect to advertising is challenging production methods associated with it, but to question the methods of modern production is also challenging the modern standard of living. People who advocate this direction, decay, usually do not remember to slightly negative economic direction of such effects. Spain and Greece are now objectively shrinking a little knowledge of their own sandstone see no reduction in their poverty. Instead, there is a dramatic deterioration in living conditions, pending the return of the plague and cholera. And I have some doubts about the moral improvement of the local since the birth already starving begins to fall rapidly. 

 

Rather than condemning billions of people to death in wanting to see the collapse of the modern world, should we not rather hold its transformation by changing the rules and methods of production as they were established after the World War II. Because only an organizational change in production we would do without advertising. By change I do not mean here abandonment of technical progress on the contrary, I think we need to speed it up because the old models are long overdue. I would return in a forthcoming text on this issue, including by returning to the innovation of participatory economics through social networks and internet boomed and that could be the beginnings of a credible alternative. By allowing a new relationship between production and consumption while eliminating the need to structure a massive demand through marketing.

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