It is said that this is the era of “value based marketing”. But I think otherwise. Yes, the reason consumers are buying the “latest and greatest” products is because the products seem to have some value. However, this is largely due to the fact that people don’t see the devious side of marketing.
Fast cars, designer clothing, sculpted figures. What do these words all have in common? They are all very good ways of saying “Look at me!” But why is that? Well, for pretty much the entire span of human existence there has been some way in differentiating social status. Crowns for kings, and rags for peasants. It is this recognition of authority through looks that is the foundation of modern-day marketing, and there is evidence everywhere to prove this. Makeup companies put lipstick on models and associating beauty with their brand, and “if you look at supplement ads, they often contain an extremely muscular meathead or a perfectly proportioned female“(Blake Taneff). By establishing a precedent of how people should look/act, and purposely creating insecurity in people, it can easily be said that a great deal of marketing is conducted unethically.
This is why I think marketing isn’t based on value, but more weakness-exploiting. Would teen angst or depression even exist if we weren’t always being told that we had to assimilate? And I’m not saying that marketers had some sort of plan to control people using their insecurities all along. I personally think marketing has come up with some of the most beautiful works of visual and aural art the world has ever seen. But can we consider it ethical if there is such a negative effect on people?