Issues in advertising exist globally. The issues begin with placement of advertisements in specific media outlets. Certain ads can’t be placed on T.V. during certain times of the day because of censorship. However, marketers have still been able to establish way of getting messages across to mediums of viewers. “Sex sells” is an idea that we as humans are still animals and creatures of sexual habit; therefore, our response to skin drives us to want certain products, or pay attention to an idea. Since marketing is considered a form of education, we as students/consumers are driven to believe in what is presented in front of us. Not everything will always appeal to everyone in every market. However, if just one person in each market can be reached, then the advertisement has worked and done its job. Consumers are the biggest marketers for companies, because if our friends are doing it, then we want to do it. It’s the classic case of monkey see, monkey do.
Globalization of products and ideas has also hurt some traditions. The Western influence in China has some Chinese worried about the customs and values of their nation, according to a case study about Shanghai advertisements by Aubrey R. Fowler III, published in a ________. With businesses like McDonalds, KFC and Coke making their mark in foreign countries, we begin to see a trend of WWAD, also known as "what would America do?" As marketers, we set the trend of what everyone believes or buys into. An example of this was when women started cutting their bangs straight across the brow line. It was a trend that stuck around for a year, and then the trend faded as it should. New ideas and innovation pushes out old and provides new for consumers. With behavior changing daily and weekly, marketing efforts have become advanced to the point where with the assistance of technology we can get up to the minute statistics on what people are buying and how products are being used.
Many marketing concepts never reach consumers because of the riskiness of the message. However, businesses like Victoria’s Secret can place products on models to have them perceive a specific type of beauty. This gives the consumer a perception that, that is what they have to be in order to obtain the product, or the message could be that this is the social perception of this particular product. On the other side of this is Fruit of the Loom; their message displays that anyone of any shape or size can wear the products and feel comfortable about wearing them. Both of them display the same message and are definitely of different quality. But, which penetrates the market with a more effective message? I asked several friends that were both male and female about the products and while males can’t really relate to Victoria’s Secret products, the ideas of the products were more shifted towards Fruit of the Loom. Why? Because the message was better received.
In recent advertising news, Kraft has had to re-think its marketing concepts in the North American market after its split from the snack foods unit. The split comes with a great deal of opportunity. Kraft is determined to continue marketing in the grocery markets by effectively separating its foods, snack and beverages. This separation will allow each area to market specifically to that niche. While it is unknown what the outcome will be, Kraft Foods CEO Irene Rosenfeld has a positive outlook. "If you believe that there is a new normal of slower consumption growth in North America -- and we do -- certain capabilities will be even more important in the future" said CEO Irene Rosenfeld in a recent issue of Advertising Age. By going through this process Kraft hopes to take its businesses to higher levels of competition in a more global environment. http://adage.com/article/news/kraft-market-grocery-business-split/229658/
Advertising and marketing is an ongoing, changing environment that many of us adapt to on a daily basis. We are driven towards products and then quickly turned away from them. Behavioral changes in consumer attitude will continue to push the evolution of how messages are received and perceived. It is our job as both marketers and consumers to level the playing field with effective marketing strategies.
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