Marketing the Consumer Society and Hedonism
Marketing the consumer society and Hedonism
Contents
Introduction
Nowadays marketing is linked with pejorative definition, for many critics it is related with an hedonistic lifestyle. Hedonism is a philosophy an ethical system that evaluates the pursuit of pleasure as the highest good. In this article hedonism and marketing are related with materialism which can be defined as the pursuit of gathering as many material goods as possible in order to achieve happiness. This article underlines connection between the consumer society, hedonism, and the place of marketing being responsible or not for unethical behavior among consumers.
The charge: A Hedonistic Society attributable to consumer marketing
Modern marketing is charged to have an influence on consumer’s society by changing it on a hedonistic society it is a degenerate influence especially by claiming that goods acquisition and consumerism is the core of today’s society. In fact this argument is based on how our societies were built, in the first instance, with orthodox values regarding monotheist religions. So that materialism is seen as being against spiritual and moral values. Yet the term “Marketing” is used by its detractors as a philosophy encouraging depravation and they neglect to consider what Marketing is all about, meanings:
1. Identifying actual/potential wants within a market or markets; segmenting the market into want categories and selecting market segments suited to the firm's thrust and core competencies;
2. Determining the offering to match the want of each segment selected;
3. Making the offering available;
4. Informing and persuading those within the market segment or segments to buy or rebuy;
5. Deciding on a continuous basis what offerings to add, subtract, modify and upgrade; and
6. Cooperating with others to secure resources and support marketing plans.
Indeed marketing is seen as a link with hedonism and as having been created by the power of structures to maintain
Contents
Introduction
Nowadays marketing is linked with pejorative definition, for many critics it is related with an hedonistic lifestyle. Hedonism is a philosophy an ethical system that evaluates the pursuit of pleasure as the highest good. In this article hedonism and marketing are related with materialism which can be defined as the pursuit of gathering as many material goods as possible in order to achieve happiness. This article underlines connection between the consumer society, hedonism, and the place of marketing being responsible or not for unethical behavior among consumers.
The charge: A Hedonistic Society attributable to consumer marketing
Modern marketing is charged to have an influence on consumer’s society by changing it on a hedonistic society it is a degenerate influence especially by claiming that goods acquisition and consumerism is the core of today’s society. In fact this argument is based on how our societies were built, in the first instance, with orthodox values regarding monotheist religions. So that materialism is seen as being against spiritual and moral values. Yet the term “Marketing” is used by its detractors as a philosophy encouraging depravation and they neglect to consider what Marketing is all about, meanings:
1. Identifying actual/potential wants within a market or markets; segmenting the market into want categories and selecting market segments suited to the firm's thrust and core competencies;
2. Determining the offering to match the want of each segment selected;
3. Making the offering available;
4. Informing and persuading those within the market segment or segments to buy or rebuy;
5. Deciding on a continuous basis what offerings to add, subtract, modify and upgrade; and
6. Cooperating with others to secure resources and support marketing plans.
Indeed marketing is seen as a link with hedonism and as having been created by the power of structures to maintain