The ideal life in America is well defined and has been instilled into peoples’ minds since childhood: two-story house, white picket fence, 2.3 children, a perfect lawn, new car, and of course the corner office. I know from my experience so much emphasis is placed not on following this model exactly, but at least coming close to meeting the expectations. While not all of the expectations are material, most of them are. I have become disillusioned with the idea that success is not measured in material objects. Think of examples of people that are thought to be successful: Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, Richard Branson and Martin Luther King. More often than not the first person to come to mind when the word success is mentioned is a billionaire. Examples like MLK, Mother Teresa and M. Gandhi exist but they are often not the examples that come to mind first even though they are great examples of being successful.
Fortunately for everyone people have been successful in the pursuit of bettering the lives of others, but I think most people define success by owning a certain item further defined by the brand and price. Is it all marketers' fault that people believe this? The answer is definitely no, but it likely plays a part in it. There are many questions I am asking myself lately about marketing products to people and if I think it is something I will say forty years from now was a worthwhile devotion of my life. The answer changes from day to day but has really shifted as of lately. Although we haven’t had any articles that pertain to this subject I think it is important that students realize there are many ethical questions to ask themselves when marketing a product.
Take today for an example: I went on a hike with my roommate and close friend and we had a great time. It didn’t matter what brand of shoes we wore, what kind of water bottle we used, or the names on the backpacks we carried. The things that mattered most were the memories and the experience; I know we have talked a lot about experience in class, but this was a different type of experience. On the trail not much else mattered for those six hours, even the fact that we brought barely enough food to be considered a lunch was fine with me. I was with two of my best friends and we were having a great time; if an experience like that could be marketed then I’m sold. But maybe the reason that we all enjoyed it so much was that we were able to enjoy so much with so little, which could be looked at as a greater value to bring this thought back to marketing terms.
To tie everything together I think often success is viewed as too material and sometimes the best things in life cannot be branded. Many times I find that I am not chasing after my own idea of success, but others. Some people like Bill Gates and Shirley Polykoff are able to find success and help others in products, while other people are not. They believed in their products, something that often diminishes down the ranks of a company. Many insights can be drawn from this, but they are not the type most marketers want to face. Although I wish products and brands didn’t play as large a part in my life the fact is hard to ignore. It was nice to escape everything for a few hours today, but I know that is something I can’t find happiness in everyday. Although students will find their own version of success and happiness in different careers and ways I think it is important for us to evaluate and pursue our own individual definitions.
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