27 comments for “Do marketers manipulate consumers?”
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January 19, 2019 at 3:28 pm
Welcome to the discussion!
Please leave a comment here that shares an observation after having read Chapters 2 of the book and having thought about the information that you learned on About The Data.
a. What would you like to share before the class discussion on the topic “Am I an aware consumer?” and “Do marketers manipulate consumers?” Write a 1-2 sentence question/observation.
b. Read your classmates comments and comment on the ones that interest you.
We often hear voices that consumers are manipulated by Marketers. Products that are not really needed are sold to them. But the fact contradicts with these allegations. Consumers are not dependent on Marketers rather Marketers are dependent on the consumers.
This is an interesting perspective. Can you please elaborate on the facts to which you refer? It is helpful to build discussion when you give specifics.
I don’t believe that marketers manipulate consumers. As mentioned in the book, marketers do not know enough about the people to manipulate them. There’s a lot of competition and marketers need to persuade their customers in order to make profit, reason why I think the way they advertise their product is misunderstood.
Some marketers do not know a lot about their customers, that is true. However, after watching the video on Cambridge Analytica from 2016, we know they collected over 5,000 data points on each adult in the US. That is a lot of information and they used it to create marketing messages that appealed to their personal traits and the social groups of its target audience to influence consumer behavior. Is it possible that the quote from the book is out of date?
After reading this chapter, I focused on the section titled “Do Marketers Create Artificial Needs?” and based on the section I agree completely with the title and information behind it. As a business marketing major myself, the object is to sell whatever product given to you! It’s your job and in the end many well known companies today actually do everything they can to make the consumer “need” the product! Though it is not necessary, many companies make advertisements that enforce the needs of the items, causing many consumers to believe the advertisment and in the end give the consumer what they want!
on the class discussion on the topic of “am i an aware consumer?” i personally don’t think I’m that aware of a consumer. i just buy what i need/want and if ads are manipulating me then so be it. and “Do marketers manipulate consumers?” i think they absolutely manipulate consumers, thats basically their job. they are trying to steer you in the direction of their products. and further than that they are using data to influence what youre likely to buy or need in the future and tracks what you have in the past
I think that I am an aware consumer and will continue to try and be aware of my buying habits as well as increasing my awareness of companies that market to me by using my internet data. I do believe that marketers manipulate consumers however, I think that even though they have their own company and profit in mind, they do manipulate consumers to try and buy their products because it could also be beneficial to the consumers, and by manipulating them they are trying to show consumers that the product they are marketing would actually be a smart investment that corresponds to a consumers wants/needs in society.
Marketers manipulate consumers in order to persuade them to buy their products. Most marketers buy data to help them understand what the consumers want and need.
I Agree with your statement but I also feel that it is also the consumers job to find out about their products and be aware of the things they are buying and who they are buying their items from.
I think that it is interesting that the beginning of Chapter 2 emphasizes the aspects of needs and wants. The chapter states that marketers do not manipulate the consumer by creating needs but it only advertises with products to satisfy the fundamental needs. For example, for every person that is suffering from thirst, there is an ad for Coca Cola. Coca cola is not the only drink but it can satify thirst, so marketers try to promote their product as much as possible to be the most lucrative.
Chapter 2 has a lot of important information that we can take from and talk about. It also mentions marketers manipulating customers. I don’t think marketers manipulate customers, because they have to promote their products in order for it to sell. They’re supposed to promote their product like it is the next best thing. Also, marketers have a target audience that they have to please and if it doesn’t please you they aren’t “manipulating” you.
I agree with the fact that marketers do need to promote their products in order to sell. If something does not catch my attention I just won’t buy it, and if I buy it, it doesn’t mean the person who is selling it to me is manipulating me.
Reading chapter 2 opened my eyes to a lot of things that were present but I didn’t pay attention to. I feel that consumers can manipulate their consumers to a certain extent but it is also the consumer job to poke at the products and find the right information so that they wont feel manipulated by the marketers. Peple can be easily influenced but you have to make the decision on whether you continue to be blind to it or take action and do your duty as a consumer to research and whose wisely.
There are times when marketers do manipulate consumers. Marketing influences our purchasing decisions and our thought process whether we realize it or not. Today, it isn’t just about the good itself but what it symbolizes. For example, lighting a cigarette is seen as cool because of the marketing techniques that have been used over time to manipulate us into believing they are.
I like your cigarette metaphor, Makes me think of how Juul and other vape companies market. They don’t blatantly say they are trying to market towards non-smokers, but by making flavors that are fruity and would resonate to young people who are non-smokers they are obviously marketing that age range without having to say that they do.
Good point Bryanna and Will. I like your examples of cigarettes and Juul. The tobacco industry has advertising restrictions they must adhere to. These were set up to dissuade these companies from promoting nicotine products to kids. The advertising strategies you are discussing could be seen as violating the law if it can be proven as a marketing strategy to penetrate the younger market.
A lot of marketers will try to manipulate your opinion on an item, or persuade you into believing their product is superior to another. As a consumer we have to be aware of when we are being manipulated and when it is the truth.
Excellent point, Christian. The way to combat manipulation is to be knowledgable about who you are and what problem you are trying to solve in your purchase.
It is also important to be aware of the motives of those trying to influence you. Most of the time, marketers are simply trying to rise above the noise of their competitors and to share why the consumer should consider their product the right solution to the need he/she has. Using fear, intimidation, shame, guilt, group-think, peer pressure or deceit is manipulative and unethical. These tactics erode trust and well-being in the consumer and the relationship.
I thought it was interesting when Chapter 2 discussed the topic of manipulating consumers. The chapter spoke about marketers not actually being able to manipulate people because they do not know enough about individuals, they are simply advertising and consumers are purchasing their products because they have a need for it. I also think this concept may have changed a bit since the discovering of the cambridge analytica data information.
I sold cars and in my personal opinion most consumers are extremely well informed and have the ability to manipulate the market themselves, the idea that the market is capable of manipulation of the consumer i think is applicable to few and in a smaller percentage of products and situations.
We will discuss how certain purchase scenarios create better informed customers. Compare your preparation to purchase a car to your “purchase” of social media. Are you aware of the ads and commentary that you scroll through on social media the way you are when you negotiate a new car purchase? I look forward to your expertise when we discuss this later.
As a consumer we have to be aware of when marketers are trying to manipulate us with information they have to try to get us to buyy products we do not need.
I feel the market is capable of manipulation and I say this because marketers collect data from consumers off of social media. Of course they need to find out what consumers want and what are their interests in order to keep up with how to get them to buy their products but it’s kind of crazy that they basically save their personal information to figure this out and some people may even have an issue with that .
Welcome to the discussion!
Please leave a comment here that shares an observation after having read Chapters 2 of the book and having thought about the information that you learned on About The Data.
a. What would you like to share before the class discussion on the topic “Am I an aware consumer?” and “Do marketers manipulate consumers?” Write a 1-2 sentence question/observation.
b. Read your classmates comments and comment on the ones that interest you.
We often hear voices that consumers are manipulated by Marketers. Products that are not really needed are sold to them. But the fact contradicts with these allegations. Consumers are not dependent on Marketers rather Marketers are dependent on the consumers.
This is an interesting perspective. Can you please elaborate on the facts to which you refer? It is helpful to build discussion when you give specifics.
I don’t believe that marketers manipulate consumers. As mentioned in the book, marketers do not know enough about the people to manipulate them. There’s a lot of competition and marketers need to persuade their customers in order to make profit, reason why I think the way they advertise their product is misunderstood.
Some marketers do not know a lot about their customers, that is true. However, after watching the video on Cambridge Analytica from 2016, we know they collected over 5,000 data points on each adult in the US. That is a lot of information and they used it to create marketing messages that appealed to their personal traits and the social groups of its target audience to influence consumer behavior. Is it possible that the quote from the book is out of date?
After reading this chapter, I focused on the section titled “Do Marketers Create Artificial Needs?” and based on the section I agree completely with the title and information behind it. As a business marketing major myself, the object is to sell whatever product given to you! It’s your job and in the end many well known companies today actually do everything they can to make the consumer “need” the product! Though it is not necessary, many companies make advertisements that enforce the needs of the items, causing many consumers to believe the advertisment and in the end give the consumer what they want!
on the class discussion on the topic of “am i an aware consumer?” i personally don’t think I’m that aware of a consumer. i just buy what i need/want and if ads are manipulating me then so be it. and “Do marketers manipulate consumers?” i think they absolutely manipulate consumers, thats basically their job. they are trying to steer you in the direction of their products. and further than that they are using data to influence what youre likely to buy or need in the future and tracks what you have in the past
I think that I am an aware consumer and will continue to try and be aware of my buying habits as well as increasing my awareness of companies that market to me by using my internet data. I do believe that marketers manipulate consumers however, I think that even though they have their own company and profit in mind, they do manipulate consumers to try and buy their products because it could also be beneficial to the consumers, and by manipulating them they are trying to show consumers that the product they are marketing would actually be a smart investment that corresponds to a consumers wants/needs in society.
Marketers manipulate consumers in order to persuade them to buy their products. Most marketers buy data to help them understand what the consumers want and need.
I Agree with your statement but I also feel that it is also the consumers job to find out about their products and be aware of the things they are buying and who they are buying their items from.
I think that it is interesting that the beginning of Chapter 2 emphasizes the aspects of needs and wants. The chapter states that marketers do not manipulate the consumer by creating needs but it only advertises with products to satisfy the fundamental needs. For example, for every person that is suffering from thirst, there is an ad for Coca Cola. Coca cola is not the only drink but it can satify thirst, so marketers try to promote their product as much as possible to be the most lucrative.
I can honestly agree on your statement. The marketers have to promote their product to sell, if they don’t promote it; it will not sell.
Chapter 2 has a lot of important information that we can take from and talk about. It also mentions marketers manipulating customers. I don’t think marketers manipulate customers, because they have to promote their products in order for it to sell. They’re supposed to promote their product like it is the next best thing. Also, marketers have a target audience that they have to please and if it doesn’t please you they aren’t “manipulating” you.
I agree that, when it comes to marketing a product, you need to make your product out to be better than your competitors.
I agree with the fact that marketers do need to promote their products in order to sell. If something does not catch my attention I just won’t buy it, and if I buy it, it doesn’t mean the person who is selling it to me is manipulating me.
Reading chapter 2 opened my eyes to a lot of things that were present but I didn’t pay attention to. I feel that consumers can manipulate their consumers to a certain extent but it is also the consumer job to poke at the products and find the right information so that they wont feel manipulated by the marketers. Peple can be easily influenced but you have to make the decision on whether you continue to be blind to it or take action and do your duty as a consumer to research and whose wisely.
this is a really good point, i realized this too while reading this chapter
There are times when marketers do manipulate consumers. Marketing influences our purchasing decisions and our thought process whether we realize it or not. Today, it isn’t just about the good itself but what it symbolizes. For example, lighting a cigarette is seen as cool because of the marketing techniques that have been used over time to manipulate us into believing they are.
I like your cigarette metaphor, Makes me think of how Juul and other vape companies market. They don’t blatantly say they are trying to market towards non-smokers, but by making flavors that are fruity and would resonate to young people who are non-smokers they are obviously marketing that age range without having to say that they do.
Good point Bryanna and Will. I like your examples of cigarettes and Juul. The tobacco industry has advertising restrictions they must adhere to. These were set up to dissuade these companies from promoting nicotine products to kids. The advertising strategies you are discussing could be seen as violating the law if it can be proven as a marketing strategy to penetrate the younger market.
A lot of marketers will try to manipulate your opinion on an item, or persuade you into believing their product is superior to another. As a consumer we have to be aware of when we are being manipulated and when it is the truth.
Excellent point, Christian. The way to combat manipulation is to be knowledgable about who you are and what problem you are trying to solve in your purchase.
It is also important to be aware of the motives of those trying to influence you. Most of the time, marketers are simply trying to rise above the noise of their competitors and to share why the consumer should consider their product the right solution to the need he/she has. Using fear, intimidation, shame, guilt, group-think, peer pressure or deceit is manipulative and unethical. These tactics erode trust and well-being in the consumer and the relationship.
I thought it was interesting when Chapter 2 discussed the topic of manipulating consumers. The chapter spoke about marketers not actually being able to manipulate people because they do not know enough about individuals, they are simply advertising and consumers are purchasing their products because they have a need for it. I also think this concept may have changed a bit since the discovering of the cambridge analytica data information.
I sold cars and in my personal opinion most consumers are extremely well informed and have the ability to manipulate the market themselves, the idea that the market is capable of manipulation of the consumer i think is applicable to few and in a smaller percentage of products and situations.
We will discuss how certain purchase scenarios create better informed customers. Compare your preparation to purchase a car to your “purchase” of social media. Are you aware of the ads and commentary that you scroll through on social media the way you are when you negotiate a new car purchase? I look forward to your expertise when we discuss this later.
As a consumer we have to be aware of when marketers are trying to manipulate us with information they have to try to get us to buyy products we do not need.
I feel the market is capable of manipulation and I say this because marketers collect data from consumers off of social media. Of course they need to find out what consumers want and what are their interests in order to keep up with how to get them to buy their products but it’s kind of crazy that they basically save their personal information to figure this out and some people may even have an issue with that .