JustineTasiaux

ReadingMarketing:ConsumerBehaviour(StephenBrown)
Double,doubletoilandtrouble:ontheequivocalmagicofmarketing

NatWestscase Duringthecrisis,NatWestBankwrotealettertotheconsumersassuringworriedcustomers that NatWest is fighting the recession on their behalf. They wrote we understand that helpful bankingneedstobemorethanjustamarketinglinewhichbotheredthemarketerswhofeltlike NatWest was blaming them for the worlds economic malaise. In deed, the banks marketing campaignbeginswithanattackonmarketing. Despite decades of declaring that marketings raison dtre is the consumers wellbeing, marketing is still a synonym of charlatanry, a word freighted with negative connotations. The marketing academia claims that Gettes (NatWests CEO) representation of marketing is mistaken and that just because one banker misunderstands marketing doesnt mean that marketing per se is at fault. These bad apples are the exception rather than the rule and the manyshouldntbetaintedbytheiniquitiesofthefew. Badapples Theyarethoseadvertisingunhealthyproducts,sellingsweatshopproducedgoodsTheyhave nothingtodowithpropermarketingbutservedthemarketerswellasanexcuse. Implementationgambit:Ifmarketersprinciplesetcfailed,itisbecausewedidntimplement thosewell!Ex:themarketingstrategywouldhaveworkedperfectlyduringthecrisisIFwehad anticipatedtheimplicationsofthesubprimecatastrophe,thecreditcrunchetc. Brownunderstandswhytheyhidebehindthebadapplesfirewallbutdoesntagreewiththe implementation gambit, which actually puts the blame on the consumers, who are supposedly venerated in marketing! The fundamental problem with the modern marketing paradigm (= marketing science) is that we can always make excuses when its failing are exposed. However Brownbelievesthatthesemistakesarebasedeitheronerroneousassumptions,orinadequate research,orimproperimplementation,orunanticipatedalterationintheenvironment. MarketingScience Brownbelievesthattheproblemisthesciencementalityofmarketingthatgivestheacademia the feeling they know best. Even though their ideas are not scientifically proven, they are scientifically approved. Nevertheless, a science is susceptible to degeneration, desertification, drought And this, even with the tons of existing articles because the more is not the better. Evidence of abundance is not abundance of evidence. Most of the published marketing articles are using already wellestablished methods to prove wellestablished points. (ex: no textbookreallydeviatesfromKotler,the4Psetc).Thevariationsareminorandthosetryingto escape,comebacktoitintheend. Thescientific,thereligiousandthemagical Intheworld,themagicalperspectiveisfoundinthemostunderdevelopednations,thereligious one in partially developed societies and the scientific one in the most advanced nations in the West.Worldviewscoexistandthesameistrueofmarketing.Althoughthescientificperspective predominates,thesacreddoeshaveitsadherentaswellandmagicisclearlydiscernibleinsome marketerpracticessuchasTVaddsfeaturingvoodooorcelebrationslikeHalloween.Consumers alsorefertomagicalterms(ex:thechocolatebarwascallingouttomeeatme).Inthisessay, Brownwilldrawmeaningfulparallelsbetweenmagicalpracticesandmarketingactivities(both academicandmanagerial).

Tenmajorthemes 1.Spellsandincantations:Correspondtoslogansandcatchphrasesinmarketing.Ifrepeated often enough, they bring great wealth and good fortune to the brand. A slogan is worth its weightingold.Ex:Imlovingit(McDonalds) 2. Symbology: Marketers call them logos. Just like slogans, they tend not to the academic respecttheydeserve,accordingtoBrown,buttheyareofenormousimportancetoprectioners. Ex:McDonaldsarches,Nikesswoosh,Applesapple 3. Animism: Corresponds to anthropomorphic characteristics in marketing (mascottes). Sometimes, evoked by the brand name (ex: Puma, Dove, Red Bull), sometimes linked to the brandspersonality(ex:KellogsTonytheTiger,Cokespolarbear),sometimessupernatural(ex: MrMuscle,MichelinsBibendum),sometimesrealpeople(ex:RonaldMcDonald).Animismisa humanconstant. 4. Divination: Foretelling and prophesy can be compared to sales projection and strategy scenarioforecasts. 5.Numerology:Marketingalsohasitswordsofpowerlikeabracadabra(ex:halfpricesale,free gift inside) and numbers of power (ex: 3Cs, 4Ps, unlucky 13, never a Boeing 666). Equations alsocarryqualitativeconnotationsandwerelyonthemalot. 6.Alchemy:Thetransformativeprocessfrommetaltogoldhappensinmarketingwithamulti stagedevelopmentalprocess. 7. Shamanism: The shaman is a key figure of immense prestige and are equivalent to managementguruslikeKotler,treatedwithduerespectandreferredtoassomeoneofgreat knowledgeandinsight. 8. Astrology: Associated with horoscopes that can actually be seen as means of segmentation. Starsignsareassociatedwithdifferentsetsofpersonalcharacteristics,whichmarketersdoalso. 9.ContinuousMagic:ImitativemagicislikeJaguarsthatarefastandsleekcars,liketheanimal, butcontinuousmagicisassociatedwithjuxtapositionandrequiresthereforeamagicalobject.In marketingthisobjectisacelebrityrecruitedasaspokesperson.Celebrityendorsementcanbe problematicgiventhedangerofcelebritybreakdowns. 10.Necromancy:Necromancersraisethedead.Thiscouldbeequivalenttoretromarketing.Ex: Fiat 500. Comparisons are always drawn to the economic recessions of the past (Great Depression)historyrepeatsitself. Manymorecomparisonsbetweenmagicandmarketingcanbemade:designerlabelsasamulets or lucky charms, copycats as doppelgangers, crazes and fads as fetishes, TV adds as hypnose, freegiftsandsamplepacksaslovepotions(onesipandwerehooked) Inconclusionjustasmarketingcanbeseenasascience,itcanalsobereimaginedasmagic. BlackandWhite This distinction in magic can also apply to marketing. Marketing can be use for good (better inform the consumer, promote worthwhile causes, healthy eating,) and evil (promotion of unnecessary, unsafe, exploitative or wasteful products). This distinction is broadly compatible with the bad apple agreement. Marketing also brings negative consequences such as overconsumptionorbodyimagedimorphism. Brownsaysthatwehavetoacknowledgethatmarketingalsocreatesthewantsandthatthey cantwashtheirhandscompletelyoftheresponsibilityordeclarethatitsalldowntoafewbad apples. HarryPotter Thisisanexamplethatbadthingscanaccompanygoodmarketing.HarryPotterishugehit(7 books, blockbuster movies, dedicated theme parks). A lot was said about the massive pre release publicity campaigns, the midnight openings of bookshops etc On the one hand it had incredibleeconomiceffects,powerfulpedagogicconsequencesonteenagereadinghabitsanda good influence on the English language which shows the creators sense of corporate social responsibility. On the other hand, there is a dark side to Harry Potter. Some Christian

fundamentalistsarguethattheboypromotesSatanismanddevilworshipbutmostimportantly, theveryhighcompetitionhasledtoeversteeperdiscounting(ex:WalMartwassellingthelast bookat1$,lessthanthecosts)whichwasruinousfortraditionalbooksellers.ThereforeHarry Potterdiduntolddamagetothebooktrade. Themagicofmarketingisneithergoodorbad,itisbothblackandwhite. ManagementEducation It is 50 years since the Ford and Carnegie reports on management education (everything managersdecisionhastobeanalytic,rational,basedonfactsandnotexperiencesandfeelings). Brown believes that management education is partly responsible for todays capitalist mess in the way that management education has been misused. Furthermore, according to him, journalistssuchasMichaelMoore,providethecritiquethatacademicsdont. The superabundant supernaturalism of the marketplace has been turned into a dryas dust desert of unreadable articles and tiresome books because there is nothing else availableatthemoment.Anoasiswouldbeaplacewherepractitionersareappreciative andacademicshavestoppedscrapingthebarrelofscience.