Onur Izmir
Gumushane University, Turkey
DOI: https://doi.org/10.31410/EMAN.2018.1001
2nd International Scientific Conference – EMAN 2018 – Economics and Management: How to Cope With Disrupted Times, Ljubljana – Slovenia, March 22, 2018, CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS published by: Association of Economists and Managers of the Balkans, Belgrade, Serbia; Faculty of Management Koper, Slovenia; Doba Business School – Maribor, Slovenia; Integrated Business Faculty – Skopje, Macedonia; Faculty of Management – Zajecar, Serbia, ISBN 978-86-80194-11-0
Abstract
Marketing is a process based on (one time or continuous) exchanges that arouse satisfaction to the parties involved. What is exchanged in this process is value. Hence, it can briefly be said marketing is a value exchange process in its most basic form. However, application sometimes diverges from theory in the real market conditions, which makes us question some of the marketing applications that result in devaluing the value. Philosophy of marketing is to enhance economic life standards and general quality of life by meeting the needs and wants of the consumers in the market. For example, women were portrayed as housewives whose duty was to deal with housework and to raise kids because of the intense needs for house appliances to cook, clean, occupy the kids and wash and dry the cloths and dishes etc. When these gaps were fulfilled with lots of options through efficient machines by marketing, women had a change to turn the psychical capacity at home to intellectual capacity out of home, which gave a significant boost to the economical, technological, social and environmental changes in the world. This is an example of value-adding to the value exchange process, which is compliant with marketing theory; however, some of today’s marketing applications go contrary to the philosophy of marketing which is creating and exchanging value. The main purpose of this study is to raise awareness on the topic that marketing should be utility-value oriented rather than consumption oriented due to the sustainability issues. Consumption, in contemporary social structure, has become a vehicle for building image, communicating with others and extending the self-concept and turned to the center of the life through wild capitalist and postmodern moves. The interest on core-product has been replaced with identity and social connection that the brand provides. Consumption, hence, turned from utility-value seeking to image, story, dream and fantasy seeking. In this context, consumption act has become an instrument for self-actualization. Today’s market system whips consumer’s unsatisfied wants and desires to the degree that satisfaction of real needs goes unnoticed. The consumer who has already lost sense in this market system focuses only on consumption act and then consumption turns to being consumed. To afford the materials consumers wish to possess, they need to spend more time in the workplace, obtain personal loans from banks and are exposed to constant time urgency and stress. Consequently, consumption becomes not only on commodity but also on environment, human relationships and life. Self-consumption, hence, turns to consumed-selves.
Key words
Hypocrisy in marketing, critical marketing