Essay on Target Marketing: Consumer Behavior and Ethics

This essay provides an in-depth analysis of target marketing, defining it as a strategic process that enables companies to effectively target specific consumer groups to boost sales. The essay explores the ethical dimensions of target marketing, particularly the manipulation of consumer behavior, exemplified through e-commerce practices and advertising strategies. It examines how companies leverage target marketing to influence purchasing decisions, often focusing on the younger generation or specific demographics, as seen in the example of Axe signature deodorant. The essay also highlights the potential for unethical practices, such as false claims in advertising, emphasizing the need for companies to maintain ethical standards. The paper references several academic sources to support its arguments and conclusions. The essay underscores the importance of strategic planning to achieve marketing goals while adhering to ethical guidelines.

Running Head: TARGET MARKETING
Target Marketing
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

1TARGET MARKETING
Introduction
According to Cui (2015), target marketing is the process, which enables the company to
target the audience in an effective way possible so that the company is able to target those
consumers who will actually buy the product from the company. These need to be understood
by the company so that they are able to segregate the audience in an effective as well as in an
efficient way possible so that they can achieve what they intend to achieve in the near future
(Eshuis, Braun & Klijn, 2013). These is important as well as use by some of the company so
that they can target the specific audience in the process and help them to flourish in the
market.
Target Marketing
The author Gupta and Pirsch (2014), have rightly pointed out that there are whenever the
company use the target marketing process in their business model, they usually takes up the
unethical way to attract the customers, which is considered to be an ethical issue and that
need to be look after by the company so that they can flourish in the market and can attract
the customers in the process.
The target marketing enable the company to target the specific group of people which is a
benefit for the company to expand as well as lure the customers. These is the main reason the
company usually implies the idea to attract the customers by targeting the soft corner of the
consumers which basically generate the interest of the consumers to purchase the product
from the market, which is unethical in the sense that the company is manipulating the
purchasing decision of the consumers and push their product in the process. These is how
target marketing is being done by the company so that they can gain the popularity in the
process and can attract the customers from it.

2TARGET MARKETING
Consumer Behaviour
There are certain advantages which the company usually enjoy in the process so that they can
grow in the market and can attract the customers in the process. These will help them to
achieve the success and to generate revenue in the process. The consumer behaviour can also
be manipulated with the help of the target marketing. The purchasing decision can be
manipulated by the company so that they can grow in the process and can achieve the success
in the process (Gilbert, 2014). These need to be look after by the company so that they can
accomplish what they intend to obtain from the market. In the e-commerce market the
company manipulates the consumer decision making process by offering products in low
price, which automatically helps the company to grow in the market and to attract the
customers towards the brand and manipulate the decision of the consumers in the process.
These enables the company to flourish in the market and to gain popularity in the process.
Therefore, it can be said that the target marketing enables the company to target a specific
group of people which automatically boost the sales of the company for a time period. The
company need to strategize accordingly so that they can achieve what they intend to achieve
from the market.
Example:
The perfume or the deodorant brands implies the target marketing strategy so that they can
sale their product in the market and can achieve the success in it. The company usually target
the young generation as well as the working class to sale their product in the market, which
automatically boost the sales of the company in the market and help them to generate revenue
in the process. In case of Axe signature, the company mainly target the office going males
and advertise their product by showcasing that women co-worker will notice them if they use
this product. These is consider to be the target marketing as the company is targeting a
specific group of people in the society. The company also advertising their advertisement in

3TARGET MARKETING
an unethical way as the claim is false in this process, so the ethics cannot be maintain by the
company as they are targeting a specific group in the market. These need to be understand by
the company so that they do not act unethically to lure the customers from the market.
Therefore, it can be said that the company is using the unethical practices so that they can
grow in the market and can target the people so that they can sale their product in the market
and if they find that it is successful in the market then they will introduce the other line of
product in the market. Hence, it can be said that the company need to look after the matter so
that they can grow in the process and can achieve what they intend to achieve from the
market.

4TARGET MARKETING
References
Cui, G. (2015). Ethical issues in ethnic segmentation and target marketing. In Proceedings of
the 1998 Multicultural Marketing Conference (pp. 87-91). Springer, Cham.
Eshuis, J., Braun, E., & Klijn, E. H. (2013). Place marketing as governance strategy: An
assessment of obstacles in place marketing and their effects on attracting target
groups. Public Administration Review, 73(3), 507-516.
Gilbert, S. (2014). U.S. Patent No. 8,756,095. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark
Office.
Gupta, S., & Pirsch, J. (2014). Consumer evaluation of target marketing to the bottom of the
pyramid. Journal of International Consumer Marketing, 26(1), 58-74.