Answer to Question #245235 in Marketing for Msiyana

Question

There are many social criticisms of marketing because many people think that certain marketing practices can hurt consumers, other businesses and society as a whole. Identify one example, relevant to the clothing industry as a whole, of cases where each of the following social criticisms were justified. (Note: you will need to do some research to find these. You can find examples for the fashion / clothing industry including shoes and accessories as a whole and not just for The Sneaker Shack). (5) i. Excessive mark-ups (1 mark) ii. Deceptive pricing (1 mark) iii. Deceptive promotion (1 mark) iv. Low-quality products (1 mark) v. Poor service to disadvantaged consumers (1 mark)

Answer 1

i. Excessive mark-ups- Critics charge that some companies mark up goods excessively.

ii. Deceptive pricing- Marketers are sometimes blamed for deceptive practices that lead

consumers to believe that they will get extra value than they do.

iv. Low-quality products- consumers want more than the merely functional qualities of products, they want psychological benefits,

iii. Deceptive promotion- practices as overplaying the product's features or performance, enticing the customer to the store for a bargain that is out of stock, or running assembled contests.

v. Poor service to disadvantaged consumers in modern society poor service to disadvantaged consumers is another criticism against marketing. Better marketing systems need to be assembled in low-income areas. Critics believe the poor have been subjugated by marketers.