Although many people think that the only thing that is considered marketing would be advertising, it is much more than that. The public only sees what marketers want them to see; billboards, advertisements in magazines, spokespeople they get to show off specific brands, etc. Being a marketing major myself, I’ve learned that there is way more to marketing than just these basic things. It has allowed me to fall in love with what I’m studying, knowing that there are so many options in my major that can effect the line of work that I will end up in. I am aspiring to one day own my own business, this means knowing everything there is to about the world of marketing. Marketing courses open your eyes to how society responds to the promotion of goods and services. One learns how to read the masses and how to adjust the appearance of your product to sell to your target market. However, everyday, people sell things in more unconventional ways. Lifestyles are constantly being advertised to you without you ever even realizing it. Kids wanting products they’ve seen celebrities wearing, adults want the drinks they’re drinking and so on. More than most want the life those celebrities are living, with hopes of buying similar products. Dr. Dre headphone’s are a good example of a celebrity represented item that is very sought after and not solely based on the quality of the product but more so the brand name with connections to a high lifestyle.
My fiancé is in the fishing industry and I am able to look at his purchases from an outsiders prospective. Most of the gear in our garage I find over-priced and unnecessary yet he still hauls in the goods every chance he gets. When I question his spending he is quick to defend each and every item and how necessary the brand is. When I know that in the fishing game it is an insult to be called a “Walmart fisherman” meaning that your gear is low quality so it’s more so about how it will reflect your person.
An eye opening film I recommend is The Joneses, about a family doing just that; with occupations to market themselves and their lifestyle with the front of the all-american family that has it all. I have come to realize that marketing is so much more than bus ads and billboards but is camouflaged into every essence of our 1st world lives.
http://www.justjaredjr.com/2010/03/03/ben-hollingsworth-the-joneses-poster-trailer/
I would even go as far as to say that every occupation has a hint (if not more) of marketing to it. I am currently a hairstylist I have to market my myself and my services everyday to each client in my chair. This is how I can personally assure that they will be confident in my work enough to return and give me more business. Subway workers are trained to “up-sell” their goods with phrases like “Would you like extra bacon on that today?” and they just do it because they are told to; they see no extra income from the profit of their sales. When you educate yourself on what it really is that people want you learn how to sell and market. People love low prices and pizza; Little Caesar’s hot and ready pizza is basically a phenomenon.
The many faces of marketing 