Question

is your view on whether marketers can  create needs among consumers?  Give examples and explain.

Classmate 1

Marketers can create needs among their costumers but it is limited. Marketers can identify the costumers needs and satisfy those needs. Creating a need is more of a need that promotes that feeling of deprivation. For example, back in the day engagement rings were not a big thing, especially diamond rings. However De Beers "A Diamond Forever" campaign changed that idea forever. They promoted these rings to women, that if their partner bought these rings for them then it will show the love and sacrifice for their partner. But here is the catch, this only applies to the diamond stone, the bigger the stone the more their partner loves them. The man that is willing to pay big amounts of money for a diamond ring was worth marrying. This campaign was smart, but in reality that diamond ring won't fix any of external problems in the relationship. The diamond ring won't fulfill that need for the relationship to last long. Marketers find what their customers need and if that product or service can fulfill that need. Marketing's function is only to search the deprivation not to create them. Some do create needs, but it does not fully work out in their favor. What really works is when the firm understands the consumers needs and delivers it. It does not make sense to create them and then deliver it, when their needs are still not being met. 

Classmate 2

I believe that marketers have the ability to create the needs for customers, but only a few will be successful. A good reference is a new show or movie that needs to be promoted. The movie itself takes a month's up to a year to film, do table reads, etc. and money that was spent for all of it. Now it up to promoter to market the movie to get reimbursed for the money that was already spent, and the money being spent. These people will have to know what the consumer likes, wants, sense of humor. If these people do not know what the consumer needs how could they sell the movie. Another example I could find similar is the shopping channels. Those channels sell over millions of products each day to the consumer. Their consumer of choice is the elderly, and it has been working. These channels know exactly what would interest them and put it on full display at all times. So, to conclude i do believed that marketers can create needs among consumers. All these companies, and businesses know their consumers and create products they know their consumers would want. Everybody thought the snuggie was a dumb idea, but people still buy the blanket with sleeves.

Classmate 3

Marketers can and do create needs among consumers. As humans, we all have our basic fundamental needs of: Food, Water, Sleep, Clothing, and Shelter. Even these needs can be created by marketers. We have restaurants piling into every corner of every city and every town. They all are marketed as food sources and most fulfill that need. We have hotels and multitudes of housing options to fulfill the need of sleep and shelter. Last but not least, we as a civilization have plethora's of clothing brands to choose from to satisfy our need to be clothed.

Even with all of that how is a phone a need or car a need? Well, human beings have advanced to the point where there are more needs than just the absolute basics. No one wants to live like a caveman anymore. We have many other needs pointed out in this module by Maslow's hierarchy of needs. We also need safety and security, love and care, esteem, and self actualization. Those are all a lot more complex than just food, shelter, and water. A phone is needed to communicate with others to show our affection towards one another and for some to improve their esteem. A car is needed for secure travel over distances humans could not regularly travel otherwise. We all could live without an iPhone or a Ferrari that is not a question. But an iPhone and Ferrari are just one of the many options catered by marketers to fulfill a modern day humans needs. 

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