Marketing Psychological Instruments to Integrate with Consumers - Essay Example

? Section/# The following analysis will seek to engage the reader with an understanding of the way in which gender and celebrity endorsements, as well as fashion, have effected a psychological and sociological interpretation of self worth and an individual’s place in society. Further, a unique level of analysis will be placed with regards to the way in which the dynamics of this process are engaged in the manner through which the consumer is encouraged to view a celebrity endorsement and fashion as tantamount to expert knowledge on a given topic/subject/product. Introduction: It is without question that advertising and marketing heavily relies upon psychological instruments in order to integrate with the potential consumer. The fact of the matter is that advertising has become something of an art form in which marketers have sought to leverage various aspects of human psychological mechanisms as a way of convincing the potential buyer that they should buy a particular product or utilize a particular service. Although seeking to measure such a dynamic and marketing and psychological advertising would necessarily require a dissertation length response, this brief analysis will seek to engage the reader with an understanding of how celebrity within advertising works to create a more favorable impression with regards to the imagery and understanding of the product itself. Furthermore, as a means of performing such an analysis, it will be necessary to engage the reader with a discussion and appreciation for the means by which gender consciousness, social psychology, and motivation (as well as many subcategories of each of these) all work together to affect such an end in the minds of the potential consumer. Moreover, specific academic studies will be utilized as a means of drawing inference upon the hypothesis of this research which regards the understanding that celebrity influences a great deal with regards to the level in which a potential consumer has to interact with the given good/service/product. Likewise, an analysis of fashion as a construct of gender and the impact that this has had will also be engaged within a second portion of this analysis. By much the same token, fashion has been an aspect of society that has heavily impacted the way in which the average individual understands gender. Due to the way in which fashion helps to quietly shape such an interpretation and engages tacit changes with regards to the dynamics between self identity, psychology, and further definitions of “male” and “female”, the second section of this analysis will be concentric upon a gendered understanding of the way in which the fashion industry and media have coalesced to represent unique trends; trends that have in turn fundamentally shifted and shaped the way in which the average stakeholder integrates with a gendered interpretation of current reality. Whereas one cannot simply interpret either of these mechanisms of societal interpretation as the more important of the two, it should be understood that globalization and a normative process of gender representation are equally represented via both interpretations/integrations. With this in mind, the following sections will seek to analyze fashion and celebrity endorsements as they both help to mold and shift interpretations of gender. Celebrity Endorsement and Gender: Likewise, the first of these studies which will be engaged with regards the level to which gender consciousness factors in to the way in which the potential consumer engages with celebrity endorsement and/or celebrity suggestion. Ultimately, the way in which the marketer seeks to portray overall consciousness within a product offering is almost invariably linked to an identification of self awareness. For instance, one article denotes that the celebrity endorser necessarily evokes from the consumer a heightened sense of self-awareness as a result of personal appearance, social class, or overall beauty and societal standing in general (Patra & Datta, 2012, p. 54). Naturally, with women controlling nearly 70% of purchasing power parity within the developed world, a product can of course be sold based upon its utility and merit alone, advertisers and marketers in general usually rely upon celebrity endorsements as a means of giving their product an age. This corresponds to an understanding of feminist theory. Although this theory is invariably used to denote the way in which women are treated as compared to their male counterparts, a further integration and understanding with regards to the increased level of purchasing power and decision making that women currently have as compared to their male counterparts. Ultimately, this marketing approach is something of a dangerous position; however, if pulled off correctly, it can integrate with the potential audience and resonate in a way that merely presenting the product by itself or with the professional actor may not. Invariably, with the exception of radio, celebrity endorsements are a means of heightening the self awareness of the potential consumer and integrating the understanding that they too can somehow mirror the behavior, actions, fashion, or general trendiness that the celebrity necessarily engenders (Church-Gibson, 2012, p. 14). As a result of the way that global culture has grown to esteem celebrities to such a high degree, the psychological ramifications of celebrity endorsement are profound. This fundamental understanding of the way in which society has come to appreciate the celebrity as the hallmark of good taste and the so called “good life” is another indicator with regards to the way in which the reader should seek to understand and relate to the way in which celebrity advertising is able to integrate to such a great and actionable degree within the consumer base (Edwards, 2011, p. 10). Evidence of this “self-analysis” and comparison with regards the way in which the individual consumer can understand themselves as compared to the celebrity endorser is one of the driving mechanisms through which products and services are sold. Moreover, a cursory analysis of the manner through which such celebrity endorsements are made invariably present a situation through which Photoshop, touchups, and final production artists are able to increase the already dramatic appeal of the individual celebrity in question; furthering the notion an understanding within the mind of the consumer that they are somehow currently in comparable to the level of beauty/attractiveness that the celebrity endorser is able to promote; therefore requiring them to integrate with the given good/service or opportunity as a means of lessening this particular gap. In effect, sex sells and a heightened level of focus upon the attractiveness of the individual actor/celebrity in question is a profound gender specific impact that the marketer seeks to leverage. A particular technique that is oftentimes utilized as a means of affecting this goal is to represent not only the celebrity with regards to the endorsement question but also other “average” individuals (Belch & Belch, 2013, p. 378). A particular theoretical understanding that can be had with respect to this is with regards to the way in which gender and socialization theory impacts upon the underlying sociological interpretation that is engendered within the marketing/buying experience. It is with respect to the fact that the viewer will gain an understanding of how they might be perceived if only they were to integrate with the given good/product or service in question. Although celebrity endorsement in and of itself is not a new trend, it is one that has continued to be honed and utilized in different manners utilizing different societal dynamics, trends, and techniques. From even a cursory level of historical analysis, the individual researcher can point to the way in which CBS news utilized anchor Walter Cronkite or Mike Wallace as a means of promoting a particular cigarette. Yet with regards to the way in which male celebrities are utilized, the reader can come to the understanding of the fact that male celebrities are almost invariably provided to the viewer not based upon their sex appeal but based upon their direct level of “expert knowledge”. By means of comparison, a female celebrity is almost invariably represented as an individual that should be esteemed and attention devoted due to the fact that her sex appeal or level of exotic charm is so far above anyone else. Although it may seem as something ridiculous within the current era, and considering the overall level of health knowledge that individuals have with regards to the dangers of smoking, these individuals promoted different brands of cigarettes based upon the filter technology and the overall healthfulness of the smoking experience. Even though celebrity endorsements have most certainly change from the era in which Ronald Reagan, then actor, or the likes of Walter Cronkite and Mike Wallace could promote a particular cigarette, the idea of celebrity endorsements and the means through which it seeks to integrate with a psychological interpretation of self worth have remained virtually unchanged (Rojek, 2001, p. 55). Yet another profound means by which celebrity endorsement can be understood as gender specific phenomenon is with regards to the way that the consumer is able to integrate with potential product in a unique way. This level of unique/gendered approach can be determined as a psychological response with regards to the social psychology that such an approach necessarily engenders. As compared to the first discussion which is been listed above, the social psychology approach necessarily impacts upon levels of influence, compliance, and what is known as the bystander effect. This particular level of social psychology is perhaps one of the most profound with regards to the level in which celebrity endorsements of a particular product engage with the potential consumer (Carrillat, 2013, p. 17). For instance, the social psychological perspective helps to explain why an individual might be convinced to make specific purchase as a result of a celebrity endorsement whereas they may not have without it. This is of course affected through a level of influence and ethos that the celebrity endorser is able to engage the consumer with. The specific dynamic is discussed within Ali Pughazhendi’s article entitled “A Study on Effectiveness of Celebrity Endorsement on Product Advertisements” where the social psychological aspect celebrity endorsements are measured as compared to the absence thereof (Pughazhendi et al., 2012, p. 13). What the researchers found was that a market and noticeable differential existed with regards to consumer behavior as a direct result of the celebrity endorsement. Gender and psychoanalytical theory can be applied to understanding the way that researchers have leveraged unique approaches based upon social psychological interpretation of the messages that these celebrity endorsers engendered was necessarily integrated with by the end consumer. In such a way, although there are many other aspects that necessarily affects the way in which consumer behaviors realized within the market, the researchers of this particular article come to the same understanding that this author has previously listed; that of fact that the social psychological impact of celebrity endorsements is necessarily one of the strongest motivators for individuals to behave in which they do. Leveraging this, it comes as little surprise to the reader that celebrity endorsements have seemingly grown in an exponential manner over time; with nearly a 30% increase over the past two decades. This is of course not confined to the typical understanding of celebrities being actors; rather, it includes athletes, singers, and musicians of various varieties. Within the psychological level of integration, the reader can and should understand that the level of integration that a celebrity endorsement is able to make upon an individual, and indeed upon an entire society, is predicated upon subconscious levels of self-worth, well-being, beauty, and the ability to integrate with normative behavior. Societal normative behavior is something that each and every individual within society attempts, at least in some way, to engage with (Sonwalker et al., 2011, p. 39). Although it is necessarily true that certain individuals repress sociopathic tendencies and seek to rebel against the system, the overall percentage of individuals that fall into this category is recognizably low. As such, advertisers/marketers seek to integrate with consumers based upon what can be termed as a “least common denominator”. Whereas it is true that different marketing approaches are effective in engaging and/4 eliciting a response within individuals, a “least common denominator” approach is one that seeks to leverage the least amount of differential between individuals as a means of selling a particular product. In this way, celebrity endorsements/advertising is something that is broadly recognizable to almost each and every individual throughout society and something that is able to engage them with a determinant proposal for action with regards to how they can and should behave (McRobbie & Nava, 1984, p. 22). A further theory that can be engaged with respect to sociology and gender is with regards to what has been termed as gender globalization theory. This theory helps to support an understanding of the way in which the increasingly interconnected world represents gender norms and expectations over supranational and ethnic borders. This specific theoretical interpretation is useful with regards to understanding even though certain particular celebrities are represented as solely and completely unlike the individual that they are attempting to market to, this differential and distinction must be somewhat nuanced. The rationale behind this is that the correct level of representation is interval in selling the product and engaging the consumer with an understanding that the likeness of the celebrity endorser is not something that is entirely out of reach. What is meant by this is that oftentimes an appeal, with regards to celebrity endorsement, begins by representing something of an unattainable norm. The celebrity is by very definition, wealthy, good-looking, and well known/liked. However, these are inherent and determinant social constructs that exists by very nature of who the individual is (Veblen, 1925, p. 12). The integration between marketing and advertising, as compared to the information that is thus far been related, is with respect to engaging the potential consumer with the understanding that even though this differential exists between themselves and the individual represented within the advertisement, the solution to this differential is with regards to purchasing or engaging with the desired product/service. In such a manner, the appeal for the celebrity advertiser oftentimes makes our predicated upon either a tacit or direct discussion of the everyday life and concerns that this individual has as compared to the average viewer (Gnanapragash & Sekar, 2013, p. 54). This can effectively be understood with regards to the way in which a well-known advertiser can reference a key concern that he/she has with regards to the health, safety, or attractiveness of their life for the lives of their loved ones. This measure of comparative similarity serves a powerful mechanism through which the individual is convinced of the fact that even though a massive differential exists with regards the overall levels of beauty, stature, wealth, or fandom that the individual celebrity represents, all of this can merely be brushed aside and forgot at the moment in which the particular product, good, or service is engaged with (Holmes & Negra, 2011, p. 15). Yet, in the same way that a consumer is ultimately at risk for becoming weary of a particular product or indeed of the particular advertising approach, celebrity endorsement is something that has to be used sparingly. In effect, marketologists and sociologists have pointed to the fact that the individual participant within society is only able to make a certain level of informed connection between a particular product and a particular individual. Whereas it is true that logos, the existence of a spokesperson, a particular jingle, and a litany of other marketing approaches cloud the mind of the individual consumer, not allowing a product become lost within the sea of other celebrity endorsers is a primary concern that exists. As a means of ameliorating this risk and seeking to engage with people in an effective manner, celebrity endorsement is used sparingly. Further underlying reason for this has to do with the fact that all celebrities cannot be considered equal. Some are necessarily more influential, wealthy, and/or beautiful than others. By means of comparison, even though a celebrity can have a dynamic impact upon increasing overall awareness and sales, they can also have a detrimental effect with regards to identifying a particular product to closely with a particular individual, a particular worldview, and/or a particular “look”. The dangers of this are of course associated with the fact that when fashion changes, if an individual celebrity does something unexpected and becomes less popular, or if an alternative product is able to engage another celebrity of even greater statute, the approach itself has to be abandoned due to the fact that a never ending brinksmanship with therefore develop and ultimately reduce the attractiveness of both the product line and the individual product itself. Fashion and Gender: Further, from the previous interpretation of celebrity advertising that has thus far been discussed, it can be clearly denoted that a sociological interpretation of gender is able to be represented to women most effectively via fashion. By means of comparison, men most readily integrate with an interpretation of media and gender via celebrity endorsement. As with much of the modern era, developments in media sources as well as the way in which marketing and advertisement take place have helped to craft a new identity for individuals living within the 20th century and beyond. However, rather than focusing upon an unbelievably large topic such as how media impacts upon people in the modern era, this second part of the analysis will focus upon how media sources developed and had a direct, measurable, and noticeable impact upon the world of women’s fashion. Ultimately, the world of women’s fashion, within the not so distant past, is one in which a sense of consciousness and fashion awareness was specifically cultivated as a means of marketing new products and styles to individuals around the globe. Firstly, it must be understood and appreciated that the early 1900s were a period in time in which radio was coming into its own. Although developed in the late 19th century, by the 1930’s radio had come to be exhibited within society to very much the same level and extent to which television is exhibited within the society of today. However, although able to integrate a degree of advertising, radio was ultimately incapable of presenting any form of image to the listener. This is where mass marketing of stores such as Woolworth’s, Sears, and a number of other mail order or local outlet stores began to take shape. As a direct result of chain stores that were able to open offices within a given area and even send out advertisements and catalogues, a sense of uniformity was able to be developed and instituted within the minds of those who thought themselves to be conscious concerning female fashion. Another aspect of gender understanding and the development of a cultural norm that came to be evidenced during this particular time period and as a direct result of the integration with a globalized form of women’s fashion has to do with the way in which individuals viewed themselves and viewed the remainder of society had to do with the level and extent to which internationalism and an increased sense an understanding of globalization came to be evidenced in society after the first and second world wars. Subsequently, the First World War was enough to integrate world culture into something that scholars would now refer to as globalization(Rigsby, 2010, p. 1). Countless tens of thousands of men traveled from one place to another in order to fight this conflict. Upon returning, a more metropolitan understanding of the world and the means through which fashion transcended culture was brought back. Although this is specifically with regards to man, these men with the ones who would go off to found and direct many of the firms and marketing agencies that would in turn seek to market specifically towards women’s fashions and women’s trends (Kozar, 2013, p. 31). Similarly, the Second World War further expanded in an international scope and understanding; incorporating a litany of different cultures that would otherwise have taken many more decades to become globalized at their own speed and/or at their own pace. Thus far, the analysis has been concentric upon listing some of the cataclysmic and life altering situations that forced a further level of integration to the current world model. However, the fact of the matter is that the level of globalization, combined with the impacts of radio and/or the impact of mass marketing through print media represented only the nascent impacts that media could have upon seeking to integrate a broader and more international approach to women’s fashions (Alles, 2013, p. 1). It was the invention and widespread use of the television that was what ultimately provided a mechanism and means of marketing for women’s fashion that accelerated the industry far beyond its wildest expectations. A theoretical interpretation of this was defined by sociologist Joanne Finklestein in what was termed as “chic theory”. Within this particular theory, the understanding, from a sociological perspective, was that the individual, regardless of class or gender, sought to engage in purchasing habits and patterns that would maximize their level of attractiveness; specifically attractiveness with respect to a particular trend or set of fashion statements. This was a unique dynamic for a number of reasons (Phillips & McQuarrie, 2009, p. 59). The first reason has to do with the fact that television media was ultimately supported through sponsorship. Sponsorship took the form of advertisements which in turn allowed women’s fashion to directly be marketed to a massive audience around the globe. As a direct function of the particular media in question, a visual media, television was able to market to women, and by extension command, concerning women’s fashion without specifically advertising a women’s fashion product (Daniels, 1951, p. 54). For instance, and advertisement concerning a new car could picture a perfectly fashionable woman, wearing the latest trends, shoes, accessories, and a litany of other fashion statements (Christie-Robin et al., 2012, p. 317). By the same token, television programming itself sought to represent individuals living within the middle class and specifically targeted the self image and approach to which the viewers understood women’s fashion (Chang, 2011, p. 121). Even a cursory review of television programming in any of the decades since TV has become widespread and accepted around the globe, illustrates the differentials between seasons in which the main cast dress and understand/integrate with evolving fashion of the particular era in question. Naturally, one would be remiss not to discuss the way in which the Internet impacted upon an understanding and/or and appreciation for fashion. Whereas television allowed individuals to be presented with images and understand that a particular look or a particular fashion accessory could be purchased from a specific retailer, with the exception of certain types of television advertising, a link between a particular fashion and/or the means of purchasing it was elusive (Parveen & Mishra, 2012, p. 11). The Internet has close this gap and has allowed for individuals to view and purchase fashion within the same medium and within the comfort of their own homes. In much the same way as massmarketing and the creation and proliferation of mail order catalogs fundamentally shifted the way in which fashion was understood throughout the world, the same can be said with regards to the way in which the Internet has transformed the era of fashion by providing a new means of stakeholder participation in the review and purchase of women's fashion in an online and web enabled format (Yung, 2013, p. 8). Each of these successive trends that have been discussed have helped to redefine and increase the speed at which fashion is presented to the consumer and consumed. As with any other consumer product, the end goal of the producer is not only to derive profitability but to increase the volume (Summers 1970, p. 181). Whereas a finite number of close can fulfill the needs of any individual within the society, an infinite number of close is required to keep up with the fashion industry that rapidly changes its expectations and styles. In this way, the progression that is been analyzed throughout the course of this brief analysis underscores the level and extent to which fashion producers have focused upon different forms of media as a means of representing new and potentially fast selling fashion trends to the consumer base. Conclusion: Whereas it may be easy for the reader to look at how celebrity endorsements impact upon different layers of psychology, the fact of the matter is that regardless of the level of understanding, such an approach necessarily works and has worked to a great degree in order to positively present products to the consumer base. Moreover, the power through which society integrates with such an individual as a representation of a given product or service is a powerful indicator of the way in which continual levels of self introspection, comparison, and brand recognition are all intimately tied to one another. Rather than coming to the determination of the fact that celebrity endorsement is one of the most effective means of promoting a product and integrating with society through a means of advertising, the approach that should be gained and understood from the preceding analysis is with respect to the way and manner in which celebrity advertising is both extraordinarily profitable while at the same time extraordinarily dangerous to engage. Whereas human beings are uniquely aware of the fact that they are in a continual level of self comparison and social conflict with those that represent a wealthier or more beautiful specimen of a human being, they are also equally engaged in seeking to point out the weaknesses and failures of those individuals that they so highly esteemed. In this manner, celebrity endorsements can backfire and cause and untold level of harm to the way in which a particular brand or product is understood by the potential consumer. 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