Sales Marketing Issues - Essay Example

Cool for Sale – Has the heavy-handed corporate notion of “cool” destroyed any kind of independent street/subculture, or is there still space for young people to develop their own style beyond the reach of the brand? BY YOU YOUR ACADEMIC ORGANISATION HERE YOUR COURSE/TUTOR HERE DATE HERE Cool for sale When marketing to youth audiences, it is important to identify, first, with their personal needs and lifestyle activities in order to effectively sell a product or service. This is the foundational understanding of successful promotion in order to differentiate the company or brand and also to link a company’s product offerings with psychological youth consumer needs. In recent years, there has been substantial evidence that youth buyers model their attitudes and behaviours based on celebrity endorsement of products and how this chosen celebrity manages to attract consumers’ attention in desired market audiences. This has given companies the motivation to create targeted promotional campaigns which not only advertise the brand, but attempts to become a part of the child’s sociological development over time through concentrated exposure in different advertising mediums. Moulding oneself against a particular product brand, especially if the brand has been successful in promoting its own quality and lifestyle importance, seems to have become part of the social norm in how youth buyers compare themselves to other fashion-conscious peers. However, despite this trend, there seems to be a change in younger demographics which essentially overturns traditional gender roles and an increase in marketing education which has made youth buyers become sceptical of advertising and the research process. Therefore, there is definitely room for youths to develop their own style and battle the corporate view of what actually is cool to youth groups. When reviewing the PBS special report The Merchants of Cool, it was at first noticeable, in the lead photograph, that the youth group being displayed in the photos showed evidence of gender role changes which are not common in youth subcultures. The male teenaged individual in the forefront displays the words, J-Lo, in reference to the famous singer Jennifer Lopez, however the letter J is written backwards (pbs.org, 2008). This might reflect a deliberate attempt or testimonial against the mainstream music scene by showing their defiance against celebrity with the twisted representation of the singer’s name on his chest. Additionally, the youth has written on his chest, Kissy me with a heart displayed, showing apparently no remorse for the decision (pbs.org), something which would generally be limited to female display in traditional youth groups. Personal displays of body-art which borders on feminism, being displayed by a youth male, is very edgy and, in traditional youth groups, might lead to bullying by peers. Changes in how peers identify with themselves would radically change the marketing strategy of a corporate brand because it would limit the power of celebrity endorsements and a mass market effort might become only a niche market investment when it only appeals to smaller group subcultures. In 2004, the fast-food giant McDonald’s used Yao Ming, the famous basketball player, to appeal to youth buyers and found considerable success (Hargrave-Silk, 2004). This would likely not be effective due to changes in youth attitudes today. Youths are becoming more dedicated to equality and diversity, therefore they are breaking away from long-standing social norms that have been driven by brand marketing strategies. In the PBS special report, youths were exposed to the different research concepts when brands attempt to uncover real-life attitudes or beliefs about the brand. One interviewed youth stated, “I really do feel like I was being studied like some kind of specimen. And that I didn’t have any voice as a teenager. That was kind of weird” (pbs.org, 2008, p.1). From some youth viewpoints, the process of a product attempting to create lifestyle connection through research is an unsettling process. At the cultural level, this youth which believed branding to be a weird process will likely describe these events to her peer acquaintances, which could lead to further negative brand damage. “The youth market is considered to be one of the most cynical” and have “fragmented subcultures that brand owners have difficulty in cracking” (Forsey, 2009, p.21). This is likely because of the growing scepticism about branding strategies and promotional advertisements, therefore at the peer level there is a trend of working self-identification with brands out of their subculture groups. Ann Powers, a critic for The New York Times, disagrees stating, “The thing that frustrates me is that…(there is still a) question of whether or not MTV is somehow controlling (kids’) minds in some kind of Orwellian way” (pbs.org, 2008, p.2). Powers believes that the corporate research-gathering process is very sound and provides more positive benefits to youth buyers than negative outcomes. A critic of those who hold the viewpoint similar to Powers offers, “Marketers who believe that edgy, risqué images are the most effective way of reaching an audience of young adults may not be as in tune with the youth of today as they would like to believe” (ROAR, 2005, p.34). This is how MTV appeals to youths with risqué content in programming and edgy images. Also, “young people are exhibiting a growing sense of responsibility for their actions” (ROAR, 2005, p.34). Therefore, if the content being shown by MTV is a brand promotional activity showing immoral behaviours or risqué content, it is likely that the youth groups will reject it with their growing sense of moral and ethical beliefs and responsibility for personal actions. A report issued by IBM offers that the teenage markets are “independent entities” who create “their own rules of engagement and social behaviour” (Cerasale and Stone, 2004, p.176). This means, again, that the idea of moulding oneself to other peers, as part of the social norm, is now a niche activity in youth groups where independence and true, free expression of ideas are part of innovation in self-development and gender identification. An expert in youth sociology suggests that having a “clear identity, maturity, independence and stability” are the proper steps toward adulthood (Heilbronner, Jobs, Kater and Savage, 2008, p.575). Youth markets in this transitional phase from childhood to adulthood, when seeking maturity a solid self-identity, would likely not be turning to brands with risqué or edgy activities or images which would only complicate the process of reaching successful adulthood. It should definitely be said that due to changing social behaviours, gender role identification, peer expression and diversity, the heavy-handed corporate notion of what is actually cool no longer translates in mass market youth groups. Much further beyond the brand is a youth dedicated to ethical lifestyle, free expression for all groups, and the ability to get in touch with masculinity and femininity in a balanced way. There is most definitely room for independent street/subcultures to develop outside of the brand image. References Cerasale, M. and Stone, M. 2004. Business Solutions on Demand: Transform the Business to Delivery Real Customer Value. London: Kogan Page, p.176. Forsey, S. 2009. Youth marketing: In search of a youth connection. Marketing Week, London. 27 Feb, p.4. Hargrave-Silk, A. 2004. Yao Ming signs up for McDonald’s contract. Media, Hong Kong. 27 Feb, p.4. Heilbronner, O., Jobs, R., Kater, M. and Savage, J. 2008. From a culture for youth to a culture of youth: Recent trends in the historiography of Western youth cultures, Contemporary European History, 17(4), pp.575-586. Pbs.org. 2008. Interview: Ann Powers – The Merchants of Cool. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/cool/interviews/powers.html. (accessed 31 Dec 2009). Pbs.org. 2008. Reaction: What kids think. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/cool/teens (accessed 1 Jan 2009). Pbs.org. 2008. The merchants of cool – A report on the creator & marketers of popular culture for teenagers. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/cool/. (accessed Jan 3 2009). ROAR. 2005. Date file: Youth attitudes. Marketing, London. 11 May, p.34. Bibliography Allison, A. 2009. The cool brand, affective activism and Japanese youth. Theory, Culture & Society, London. 26(2/3), p.89. Klein, N. 2000. No Logo London: Flamingo Pountain, D and Robins, D. Cool Rules – Anatomy of An Attitude. Read More