Key Issues in Marketing - Essay Example

This key marketing issue aligns with the advertising appeal strategy (Zou and Fu, 2011: 116). According to this theory, products ought to be advertised or marketed in a manner that would manipulate or control consumer behavior in relation to purchasing. The message in the advertisement particularly in the media according to Akabas, Lederman, and Moore (2012: 49) should be captivating in order to capture the attention of the consumers. 

            The article posits the introduction of regulations in the year 2009 in a bid to limit the advertisement of unhealthy foods. As a consequence of the regulations, the rate at which unhealthy foods have been advertised in the media has been curtailed. As elucidated by Veenema (2003: 172), Maslow's hierarchy of needs outlines health in terms of safety as one of the basic needs in human existence. Obesity is considered one of the most serious childhood health issues in the developed world. This has been largely contributed by advertisement through social media and other channels (Delgado, 2013: n.p). It is of significance to posit that children are easily manipulated hence are more likely to develop food preferences from advertisements (Varley, 2012: 92). This is one loophole that has been exploited by food companies in marketing unhealthy foods to children through social media. Therefore, ensuring that children access information on healthy foods is imperative for the maintenance of a healthy and productive population (Samour and King, 2012: 518).

            Though the regulations introduced in 2009 have reduced the promotion of unhealthy foods in television sets, there has been an observable increase in advertisements particularly in social media (Preedy, Watson and Martin, 2011: 982). In the contemporary world, there has been a lot of advancements in terms of technology. It is very easy for individuals including children to access information through the internet (Goodacre and Glattery, 2013: 105). Therefore, food companies have shifted their attention to advertising their unhealthy products through social media. Compared to other conventional methods of advertisement, marketing through social media is considered cheaper and less time-consuming. Children are easily attracted by 'pop-up' buttons that appear on the side of the screen hence prompted to purchase the products.

            Other than the internet and social media, food companies such as fast food outlets have adopted the use of huge billboards outside their shops with the intention of wooing children to purchase their products (Lee, McAlexander, and Banda, 2011: 196). It is also important to point out that themes used in advertising in billboards include taste and fantasy themes that tend to cajole young children into consuming them. In conclusion, there has been a change in advertisement strategies especially for unhealthy foods consumed by children. Regulations introduced in 2009 to curtail the advertisement of such products have forced companies to move from the conventional advertisement strategies via televisions to the internet, social media, and huge billboards outside their premises.