Free Management Dissertations - Any One Wearing The Swoosh Symbol Is Basically Attempting To Be Part Of The
Any one wearing the swoosh symbol is basically attempting to be part of the athletic group without even having any knowledge or skill of games. The basic premise is to turn symbols into means of association and social bonding instruments.
According to Baudrillard (1998) this type of strategies by marketers has been adopted to manipulate consumer psyche. Companies like Nike tend to use electronic media and the world of pure simulacra to produce images that companies want individuals to see. They erode the perception of the individuals by codifying symbols and images with certain ideologies, rationale and social orientation and capitalize on the need for instant gratification whether it is for identity, materialism or emotions. Baudrillard's argument may seem too harsh on the corporate world as the reality is otherwise. Corporations like Sainsbury and Tesco are always innovating and renovating their products and services by changing store decor, product range and outlook every season. Yet these companies do not significantly influence consumers to make purchase decisions. Had this been the case these companies would not have spent millions in marketing campaigns to appeal to the masses to their shops come again and again. Despite claims for quality, standardization, trendy goods, stylish products, and necessity goods, people are in continuous search of cheaper and better stores resulting in the popularity of Kwiksave and Wal-Mart etc.
However, this is not to say that consumers are not influenced by images and social marketing. The endorsement of celebrities like Michael Jordan in Nike's advertisement; Tiger Woods in Tagheur's marketing campaigns; and the Britney Spears in The Joy of Pepsi etc. confirm the fact that organizations capitalize on consumer emotional association with goods they purchase and the perception they have of the world. By linking celebrities with goods, they influence consumers to associate themselves with goods that celebrities endorse and thereby become part of the unique league that endorse these products. Corporations are not only manipulative in their marketing campaigns but they also understand the consumer psyche having researched so much on consumer behaviour. They know how to transgress the materialism to the emotional and manipulate individuals succinctly. For this reason there has been an increase in the anti-corporate protest trend in which consumers blame corporations for the corruption of society and for making their choice for them through marketing influence (Higgins and Tadajewski 2002).
Conclusion
>From the above discussion, it is clear that consumerism and corporatism are intrinsically linked. There is no clear demarcation as to which party has first introduced consumerism. Even though theorists tend to blame corporations for corrupting and capitalizing on consumer society by breeding consumerism, the reality is difficult to distinguish.
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