What is Marketing??

Hello, my name is Shawntice Gaynor and I am a senior at Saint Michael’s College in Colchester, VT. I am studying Business Administration with a Management Concentration. Currently, I am taking a marketing course and one aspect of the course is to post blogs throughout the semester by connecting things that we enjoy to marketing. I am excited to learn more about marketing and to take you guys on this journey with me!
Before we proceed… I have a question, what do you think of when you hear the word marketing? For me, I think of those lovely ad’s that are before a YouTube video I want to watch or the ad’s in between the breaks of my television shows. Marketing is several things and there are different aspects to it as well. Marketing in general is the ability of an organization to acknowledge a consumers need/want and to satisfy those need/wants. One major component is the Marketing Mix or the 4 P’s, which are, Product, Price, Place and Promotion. This is what most marketing managers use to create effective advertisements for their company as without that their target markets will not know of the products they offer thus potentially causing a decrease in sales/profit.                                       

http://www.professionalacademy.com/media/images-news/marketing_mix.png 

  One thing that I have gained huge interest in is health & fitness!! I am always looking for new workouts, healthier recipes to my favorite meals and the newest super-foods! The marketing of health is huge especially in this day and age… our society has learned that there is a strong connection between the food that we eat and how we feel. However, the way this is marketing is more through social media instead of traditional outlets. After some research about what is in the food that most people are eating I strongly agree… the food that we eat sets us up for either health or illnesses. Of course there are some things that are beyond our control but if the majority of our society invested more into the food we eat there would not be such high percentages of diet related diseases.
The main issue that I see is that there is more marketing for the inexpensive, unhealthy foods.                                               

http://www.mcdonalds.com/content/us/en/promotions/summer_value/_jcr_content/promolevel2image.img.jpg/1438273839353.jpg

I’m pretty sure that many of you all have seen or heard about the summer deal that McDonald’s offered this summer… a Double Cheeseburger & a small fry for only $2.50. It’s kind of ridiculous and frustrating that you can get this for only $2.50 but it’s nearly impossible to find a salad for $5. Of course, it’s easier to promote an inexpensive food option that people enjoy and will be likely to purchase as it is within their budget. However, this does eliminate an entire target market because this does not appease the individuals who are trying to live a healthy lifestyle. Even the healthier spots do not receive as much marketing as places like McDonald’s, and if they do they do not stick in your mind as much because they are more expensive (because of the quality of food) than McDonald’s.

                                    

https://www.paleonick.com/store/farm-now-pharm-later-t-shirt

There is hope though, with this generation and our love for social media. While watching a cooking video on YouTube, the host had on a shirt and its saying resonated with me. It said “Pay the Farm now, or Pay the Pharm Later”. This quote plays right into what we have been discussing today, the fact that food is a source of medication… it can either strengthen you or hurt you. It is up to us to avoid the unhealthy food at all costs because they could send us to the doctor, then to the pharmacy where we will have to pay much more than the $2.50 for a burger and fries to fix the problem. One of the main excuses that people give about eating healthy is that ‘It’s too expensive’ which is partially true as you cannot get a salad for only $2.50 but if you shop wisely you can get more value for you dollar and eat healthy… but that’s for another blog. 

Here's a link to the Paleo Nick's YouTube Channel... He has some good cooking videos that I think you guys will enjoy!! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXz0rjzGdojYPGYa6jrqxjw   

Until next time you guys!