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Over the course of this semester, I learned the basic principles that shape marketing. My initial goals for the class were similar to our learning outcomes and there is no surprise my goals were accomplished.  I now understand that marketing lives and dies with customers and consumers. Find a want or need and satisfy it. This is the basic rule of thumb for marketing and is impossible without the contribution of consumers.

Marketers have to perform tasks that can make or break a product during any of the stages of its life cycle. In our Practice Marketing simulation, my marketing team experienced the pressure to perform right from the start. We had sold 14 units, a horrible turn compared to our competitors who sold over 100 units. Taking up the roles and responsibilities of a marketer, we went back to the drawing board to redesign, re-market, and reinvent our company’s image for the rest of the simulation.

Marketing exists to sell stuff.  The responsibilities of a marketer may vary, but the importance of attention to detail remains constant. Researching the market is part of the game all marketers must partake in.  We have seen in class numerous product fails such as New Coke and Coors Rocky Mountain Sparkling Water. These products did poorly in the marketplace because the target market wasn’t properly researched. If the Coors marketing team realized its targeted consumers didn’t fancy the idea of buying water from a beer company, they would’ve never initiated the campaign. Many of these mistakes are revealed through trial and error, however a well-planned research team can save a business’ capital and from possible humiliation.

There are so many opportunities to stray off the ethical path in business. Great companies consider ethics in every idea, transaction, campaign, and deal. My peers are growing fond of companies like Ben & Jerry’s because of their Fair Trade pact with its chain of suppliers. The question of ethical marketing comes up frequently when studying business. How can a company market cigarettes and appear ethical? It all comes down to how consumers interpret the message marketers are trying to sell. The greater public knows the health risks that come with smoking cigarettes and if they don’t, the warnings are labeled on the product. The issue of unethical marketing does not include the product so much as its apparent functions. If advertisements are misrepresenting a product in order to increase sales, the marketing team is acting unethically.

I feel I have gained some valuable insight from the coursework and guest speakers who had come and lectured. The importance of building my personal brand as an individual really has changed my perception on how to carry myself and represent myself in the business world. Over time I may change my motives, but I will never change my morals. Although my roots are hidden, my lighthouse points me in the right direction.