MRKT20052: Reflective Analysis of Marketing Articles - Term 2, 2019

This report presents a reflective analysis of two marketing articles, examining their implications from a marketing perspective. The first article focuses on marketing trends, discussing their importance for businesses to stay competitive and relevant. It explores various trends, including content marketing, social media marketing, SEO, and privacy marketing, highlighting their impact on reaching target audiences and adapting to consumer behavior. The second article investigates how the tobacco industry leverages social media to target younger generations, despite legal restrictions. It discusses the use of guerrilla marketing tactics and the ethical concerns associated with such practices. The analysis emphasizes the positive and negative implications of these marketing strategies, considering their effects on stakeholders and the broader market landscape. The report covers the key issues, their significance, and the marketing implications of each article.

Running head: MARKETING
MRKT20052: Marketing Management and Digital
Communications Term 2, 2019
Assessment 1: Reflective Analysis of Two Articles
Article 1: The Ultimate Guide to Marketing Trends in 2019
Article 2: How Social Media is helping Big Tobacco Hook a New Generation of Smokers
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Table of Contents
Article 1: The Ultimate Guide to Marketing Trends in 2019..........................................................2
1. Key Issues Illustrated in the Article.............................................................................................2
2. Explanation of Why the Issues illustrated in the Articles are Important.....................................2
3. Discussion of Implications of the Issues from Marketing Perspective........................................3
Article 2: How Social Media is helping Big Tobacco Hook a New Generation of Smokers..........5
1. Key Issues Illustrated in the Article.............................................................................................5
2. Explanation of Why the Issues illustrated in the Articles are Important.....................................5
3. Discussion of Implications of the Issues from Marketing Perspective........................................6
References:......................................................................................................................................8

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Article 1: The Ultimate Guide to Marketing Trends in 2019
1. Key Issues Illustrated in the Article
The article discuss about marketing trends by focusing on how the introduction of a new
technology or statistic brings about a change in every possible aspects. Be it on a monthly or a
quarterly basis emergence of new trends and techniques is believed to bring about changes in the
existing ways of connecting, attracting and marketing to the audience. The article portrays that it
is not always enough to keep pace with the changes and therefore attainment of success is not an
easier cup of tea. Success is only attainable if one remains ahead in the rat race considering the
fast paced world of marketing. This calls for the need of the creation of a marketing guide which
is the actual focus of the article. Here, the article discusses of a free generator that helps the
marketers in receiving 12 month marketing within 10 minutes. The marketing trends included the
content marketing trends, general marketing trends, search engine optimization marketing trends,
social media marketing trends, privacy marketing trends and technology marketing trends
(Sridevi & Kumar, 2015).
2. Explanation of Why the Issues illustrated in the Articles are Important
Although my business follows a marketing strategy or approach but it is necessary to
keep up with the developments in industry and also take into consideration the marketing trends
as the marketing trends allows in:

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 Keeping up with the ways in which the consumer shop and research the products and the
services compared to the competitors.
 Staying updated with the changes in the consumer behavior and the priorities
 Helps in understanding whether my business remains ahead in identifying the target
audience and their needs.
 Listening and responding to the changes in the market thereby enabling a business in
saving money.
 Staying relevant with the target market and the competitors.
3. Discussion of Implications of the Issues from Marketing Perspective
From the perspective of marketing, the general marketing trends finds application in
any company irrespective of the industry or the size (Kim et al., 2014). This particular trend
would enable me in reaching the target audience and convert an increasing number of prospects
through the marketing content of the business. Two of the common general marketing trends
have been the inbound marketing and the method of using the customers as the marketers.
The content marketing trend would allow a business to focus on the marketing aspects
through blogs, content related to the ads and production of the unique content (Kee &
Yazdanifard, 2015). To ensure accessibility and effectiveness, it is vital to pay attention to the
content that most often resonates with the present customers, target customers and the
personality of the buyer.
On the other hand, I have found the social media trends to be extremely effective as it
allows businesses to automatically connect with the audience at the personal level through the

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various social media platforms thereby resulting in the humanization of the brand (Tiago &
Veríssimo, 2014). Besides, I have also observed marketers in paying attention towards the
growth of the online organic presence through marketing trends achieved through search engine
optimization. This has helped the business in becoming increasingly discoverable online.
Most businesses are also gradually resorting to the technology marketing by integrating
the artificial intelligence that would help the customers and audience in resolving their problems
accurately and quickly (Jones, Suoranta & Rowley, 2013). Businesses are also planning to use
augmented as well as virtual reality in improving the online experience of customers. In addition
to this, trends related to privacy marketing are gaining prominence since data is concerned
valuable and the consumers views their data as precious and hence marketers have the
responsibility of protecting them (Martin & Murphy, 2017).

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References:
Jones, R., Suoranta, M., & Rowley, J. (2013). Strategic network marketing in technology
SMEs. Journal of Marketing Management, 29(5-6), 671-697.
Kee, A. W. A., & Yazdanifard, R. (2015). The review of content marketing as a new trend in
marketing practices. International Journal of Management, Accounting and
Economics, 2(9), 1055-1064.
Kim, K., Hayes, J.L., Avant, J.A. and Reid, L.N., 2014. Trends in advertising research: A
longitudinal analysis of leading advertising, marketing, and communication journals,
1980 to 2010. Journal of advertising, 43(3), pp.296-316.
Martin, K. D., & Murphy, P. E. (2017). The role of data privacy in marketing. Journal of the
Academy of Marketing Science, 45(2), 135-155.
Sridevi, K. S., & Kumar, K. S. (2015). Emerging trends in online marketing. ICTACT Journal on
Management Studies, 1, 34-38.
Tiago, M. T. P. M. B., & Veríssimo, J. M. C. (2014). Digital marketing and social media: Why
bother?. Business horizons, 57(6), 703-708.

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Article 2: How Social Media is helping Big Tobacco Hook a New Generation of Smokers
1. Key Issues Illustrated in the Article
The article puts across the issue on how Big Tobacco has been using the social media for
adopting newer means in hooking the younger generations towards smoking. This has been
against the law as marketing cigarettes to the minors is considered an offence. It has been found
that major cities like Milan, Jakarta, Cairo, and Rio de Janeiro across the world have been
connecting with the younger generation through creation of the extravagant events like ‘ Red
Move Now’ and ‘K Player’. These have been lavish events with live music, host and alcohol
meant for attracting newer buyers for the tobacco products. Most of the people targeted have
been young party goers since they remain increasingly encouraged in sharing photos with
followers and friends on the social media platform using hashtags (Dunlop, Freeman & Jones,
2016). The shared photos of tobacco adventures have acted as influencers to the generation over
and under 18. This is because as legal standards, anyone at the age of 13 possesses the right of
having a Facebook or Instagram account.
2. Explanation of Why the Issues illustrated in the Articles are Important
The issues illustrated in the article are important because increasing number of youth is
getting addicted to tobacco. A vital aspect to be noted here is that most of the tobacco companies
find out creative means in skirting the regulations imposed in marketing the product to the youth
(Soneji et al., 2018). The companies invest heavily on the magazine and the outdoor advertising
when ads are banned from the television or the radio. Now the companies have resorted to the

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social media platforms since they are used by close to 88 percent of the youth in America and are
difficult to regulate.
It has been found that social media have a public setting that makes it an influential
medium of broadcast. This has influenced the tobacco companies in using the medium for
connecting to next generation. Besides, research has found that tobacco companies in the
Philippines and Indonesia recruited influencer for encouraging a mere 2000 to 3000 Facebook
and Instagram followers to attract the youth. These influencers were paid a substantial amount
and trained for effectively maintaining the feeds in the social media. Agencies of Uruguay have
taught influencers in accentuating the cigarette brand by taking pictures and posting them for
creating maximum impact. Invitations for promotional events or parties of tobacco are posted
through Facebook as well. Youth attending the parties are greeted by offering them cigarettes
and influencing them in posing for cigarette brands along with the models.
This can be termed as guerrilla or undercover marketing since the activities undertaken
are a violation to the law (Yi & Yazdanifard, 2014). This represents a marketing technique that
involves hidden activities of marketing. Here the target market does not have the idea of the
marketed products. The marketers however hopes that the efforts would generate buzz and get
the people excitedly talking about the products or the service (Saucet, 2015).
3. Discussion of Implications of the Issues from Marketing Perspective
From the marketing perspective, it can be said that the social media has been used for
undertaking guerrilla or undercover marketing for the tobacco products due to its power in
reaching the users. The implications of the issues are both positive as well as negative. This type
of marketing has been cost effective with enhancement of creativity for the tobacco products

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(Cova & Saucet, 2014). They also encourage word of mouth marketing of the products. This
happens when the youth posts one of the tobacco sponsored photos with friend and followers on
the social media platform.
The challenges include a higher possibility of misunderstanding the message. Companies
adopting this kind of marketing are believed to be violating the law (Schiniotakis & Divini,
2018). Social media is providing incredible advancement in democratizing communications and
hence in spite of the challenges it has been a means of easier exploitation.

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References:
Cova, B., & Saucet, M. (2014). Unconventional marketing. The Routledge companion to the
future of marketing, 217.
Dunlop, S., Freeman, B., & Jones, S. C. (2016). Marketing to youth in the digital age: The
promotion of unhealthy products and health promoting behaviours on social
media. Media and Communication, 4(3), 35-49.
Saucet, M. (2015). Street MarketingTM: The Future of Guerrilla Marketing and Buzz: The
Future of Guerrilla Marketing and Buzz. ABC-CLIO.
Schiniotakis, N., & Divini, K. (2018). Guerrilla marketing in social media: The age of marketing
outside the box. Journal of Digital & Social Media Marketing, 6(1), 75-86.
Soneji, S., Yang, J., Knutzen, K. E., Moran, M. B., Tan, A. S., Sargent, J., & Choi, K. (2018).
Online tobacco marketing and subsequent tobacco use. Pediatrics, 141(2), e20172927.
Yi, K. H., & Yazdanifard, R. (2014). Generation Y and the feasibility of Guerrilla
marketing. HELP College of Arts and Technology, New Hampshire.