Does your company suffer from any of the following marketing deficiencies – fuzzy business mission, unclear objectives, information that is not decision oriented, lack of agreement as to segmentation’s real role in the organization, products/services that reflect corporate desires rather than customer needs, unfocused IMC strategy, and/or failure to attack niche markets and customize offerings?

Over the years, many top B2B marketing executives have asked me how to build and implement a true segmentation-driven culture in their organizations.  Based on my more than 20 years of experience as a professor, researcher, and consultant, here are a few of my thoughts on how to get the segmentation process in high gear.

1. Create a 1-day segmentation training workshop for the marketing group to generate excitement and stimulate project development. This will lead to a set of specific, market-based strategic initiatives and research opportunities. Bayer Diagnostics, Citrix Systems, Motorola and other companies have implemented such a plan. 
2. Begin with 3-5 small, focused and low-cost initiatives to demonstrate success and build enthusiasm. Realize that all segmentation projects may not be a resounding success (good news -- most will be if properly designed and executed). Cordis, a Johnson & Johnson company, benefited from the strategy of hitting many singles rather than going for grand-slam homeruns.
3. Review previous segmentation studies and make sense of the summary reports. Via a meta-analysis methodology, a fresh set of objective eyes can add significant value to good work and extend segmentation reports buried in computer files or file drawers. At one time, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida had undertaken 18 segmentation studies with no synthesis, integration or strategic analysis.
4. As Intel learned, segmentation audits with marketing managers, channel members and customers can pinpoint current and potential problems as well as overlooked market opportunities and niches.
5. Successful segmentation means being able to answer these 6 “what” questions -- what do you want to accomplish? (e.g., find new markets, get better customers, upgrade business relationships, align products to customer desires, create a segmentation model/typology, etc.); what methodologies will help you get the necessary information?; what is unique about your segmentation view of the world?; what is your budget?; what is your timeline?; and, what are reasonable expectations for the work?

B.C. Forbes said, “You can drive your business or be driven out of business.” I leave you with 5 thoughts to share with your management team to get them inspired and on-board to invest in segmentation thinking.

• I am convinced that market leadership is dependent upon how successful firms are at defining and selecting markets appropriate to their capabilities, resources and competitive situation.

• Segmentation findings provide a systematic basis for controlled market coverage as opposed to the hit-or-miss, random efforts of mass or unfocused marketing.

• Segmentation-based marketing is the essence of sound business strategy and value creation.

• Segmentation will continue to grow in stature as a fundamental marketing tool and foundation for marketing strategy in business organizations, large and small.

• A more thoughtful approach for market selection can assist marketers design winning target marketing strategies.

Realize that firms in all industry sectors are discovering the power of strategic segmentation as a marketing tool for attracting and retaining customers in fast changing, globally competitive markets. How about you?

*Post reprinted from LinkedIn, May 16, 2015

Image source: www.b2binternational.com, 2016.

 Art Weinstein, Ph.D., Professor of Marketing, Nova Southeastern University and author of Handbook of Market Segmentation, 3rd Edition. Professor Weinstein can be reached at art@nova.edu

This entry was posted on September 15, 2016 at 8:45 AM and has received 4434 views. There are currently 34 comments. Print this entry. Download attachment.

The rate of evolution and diffusion of technology has created new means for consumers to search for product information and gain increased knowledge before an actual purchase. The additional channels available for product search and purchase leads to the use of multiple channels by consumers, thereby changing the consumer’s purchase behavior. Consumers now approach the purchase process as multichannel consumers (MCCs), resulting in changes to the retail-selling environment. In this relatively new “click and brick” MCC-shopping environment, the role of the in-store salesperson is being questioned.

 Given this new landscape of retailing in which certain MCCs seemingly have more knowledge than the salesperson (Verbeke et al., 2010), it is unknown how or if the in-store salesperson can be used to increase MCCs’ purchase behaviors. Recent research proposes conflicting roles of the salesperson with the implication that the salesperson is obsolete (Grewal et al., 2002), suggestions that the salesperson has been transformed to a knowledge broker (Bendixen, Yurova, Abratt, and Rawdan, 2014), and yet other scholars contrast this by claiming technology cannot replace the unique functions of the salesperson (Ahearne & Rapp, 2010).  It appears a gap of agreement, understanding, and knowledge exists regarding what role, if any, the in-store salesperson has in the new shopping environment.

Similar to the story in Greek mythology whereby everything King Midas touched turned to gold, we consider if the salesperson has the “Midas touch” by using adaptive selling as a tool to lead the MCC to purchase.  We maintain that adaptive selling, if done correctly, can play a pivotal role in persuading MCCs to purchase in-store.  In fact, we did a study of 400 MCC’s and found that salespeople who are able to adapt the sales presentation to the MCCs’ needs are more effective in influencing purchase intention than those who present the same information to all buyers. Overall, the results confirm the ability of adaptive selling to be utilized as a technique in persuading a multichannel consumer to purchase in the retail store and add support to the notion that the salesperson is not obsolete, but rather can be very influential in persuading MCC’s to purchase at the retail store.  Our findings represent an opportunity for companies to encourage multichannel searching for their products across channels while simultaneously training retail salespeople in adaptive selling techniques, so that they can have the Midas touch when selling to MCC’s at the retail store.
Do you agree with our findings? Do you find salespeople to be knowledgeable and helpful? Do you use your phone for information rather than ask a salesperson for help?

Image source: walyou.com, 2016.

Sara Weisfeld-Spolter, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Marketing, H. Wayne Huizenga College of Business and Entrepreneurship, Nova Southeastern University. Dr. Weisfeld-Spolter can be reached at sw887@nova.edu

This entry was posted on September 1, 2016 at 9:58 AM and has received 3407 views. There are currently 16 comments. Print this entry. Download attachment.

Location-Based marketing is the use of mobile marketing to target mobile users within a certain geographic area. This practice can be used by businesses to send mobile ads, paid searches or other forms of mobile advertising to people who have been located using GPS or cell tower triangulation. For brands using this type of marketing, there a thin line between “astute” and “peeping tom” that they have to cross each day. A survey provided from messaging technology Company Brainstorm and Mobile Marketing Association found that 74% of users are ok with sharing location based data with third parties. But aren’t we still a little creeped out?

As marketing moves towards the future, embracing location-based marketing will be a wise move to engage with consumers. According to Paul Berney, former CMO of the Mobile Marketing Association, a mobile marketing strategy relies on earning consumers’ trust, and to do so, three steps should be followed – transparency, notice, and choice. Consumers must know when their location is going to be tracked, get a notification about it, and consequently opt-in. Well, that’s good news!

Major brands that have adopted location-based marketing argue that this is a two-way street. Do people really want to push notifications walking down the aisle of a store? When does it become intrusive? An approach that seems to be working for some major players is to use verified social media posts from consumers. By using key information and context, brands can have a more informed communication and increase their chances of engagement and interaction. Heineken’s recent @wherenext campaign, encouraged people to geo-tag their Tweets to receive location-based advice on the best places to go near them in real time. This inspires conversation between brand and user and gains a mutual benefit. Cheers Heineken!

So there you have it, consumers, brands, and technology interacting all at once – now that’s the future, so consumers who want to benefit from personalized services and suggestions are already starting to embrace it!

Angela Serna is an MBA student in the Huizenga College of Business and Entrepreneurship, Nova Southeastern University. She can be reached at as2053@nova.edu

This entry was posted on August 15, 2016 at 11:47 AM and has received 2887 views. There are currently 19 comments. Print this entry. Download attachment.

With the rise of technology and social media, marketing has been taking a dramatic turn into a new indirect strategy, the so-called reverse psychology of mass marketing. Whether it’s mass marketing or niche marketing, they both simplify and utilize the benefits of mass marketing. Thanks to the Internet and social media, even niche or exclusivist companies are able to put their promotional message out there without appearing to market on purpose outside their official target market.

Customers do know what they want. As many companies committing to the customer experience transformation, they increase their research and investment to understand them. They gather more and more insights on a transactional and relationship level. Getting deeper more frequently insight your customers’ mindset is important, and it carries a sort of consciousness. Having said that, customers now understand their market better, the same way companies do.

What if customers don’t know what they want? It might seem like a silly question, but it’s a critical one, because they don’t know until they’ve seen it. Customers don’t know the product or service they’re looking for until it’s been advertised online, TV or magazines. Therefore, customers provide a great insight into technical experiences that are beneficial to fix problems, improve services, address issues, and thus they take so much credit into defining and segmenting the new marketing era and segmenting their own market, which helps improve the process of consumer self knowledge, although called consumer education.

All things to all people, people choose their preferred things?

With the rising technology of new marketing strategies and social media effect, the majority of consumers know what segment of the market they belong to, a family of five know what kind of car they need. Consumers know that they are loyal to certain brands, but sometimes they might want to go fancy and buy more expensive, exclusive and reputable brands. They know that those brands are out there, since they’ve seen all their ads and posts on social media.

We can say that social media is the new mass marketing era in a very indirect way, which makes it very tricky, especially for companies trying not to blow their cover, by keeping the reputation of targeting specific segments of their market and customers.

While everyone is always talking about social media and the promotional messages that target its billions of users monthly, niche and exclusive companies might also be on the wagon of “the reverse psychology of mass marketing through social media”. High end brands use social media where they see the opportunity of being able to interact with their existing customers as well as potential customers. While they don’t see this as mass marketing, since that can affect their brand positioning and reputation, the bottom line is that every company wants to expand their pool of audience and ultimately grow.

References

“Number of monthly active Facebook users worldwide as of 2nd quarter 2016 (in millions)”. (2016). Retrieved from http://www.statista.com/statistics/264810/number-of-monthly-active-facebook-users-worldwide/

*Soletopia.com (2016). Retrieved from http://www.soletopia.com/2013/01/the-clothes-do-in-fact-make-the-man/ (*Image source).

Strativity.com. (2015). “Do Customers Really Know What They Want?” Retrieved from https://strativity.com/cem-topic/do-customers-really-know-what-they-want/

Mohammad Mustafa is an MBA student in the Huizenga College of Business and Entrepreneurship, Nova Southeastern University. He was born and raised in Jordan, and is an entrepreneur and business owner who has worked in many industries. He can be reached at mm3413@nova.edu

This entry was posted on August 1, 2016 at 10:24 AM and has received 7378 views. There are currently 28 comments. Print this entry. Download attachment.

In today’s day and age, it is hard to find someone who is not on social media. The platforms are endless: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Snapchat, Vine and Pinterest. However, social media is no longer your teenager's favorite obsession. It has evolved into a marketing tactic and is one of the powerful ways technology is boosting business. But what about the legal industry? Can we really suggest that social media is helpful for building up a legal practice? Which platforms are helpful?

Studies show that general counsel and C-suite executives are more likely to be connected with their outside counsel on LinkedIn, making it the go-to platform in modern legal marketing. For example, a labor & employment attorney who regularly shares articles (both own and third-party) about wage and hour issues, he is proving that he is up to date with the latest developments surrounding key areas of his practice. If that same attorney is connected with the appropriate groups on LinkedIn, who regularly share those articles, that is visible on his profile and just another reason of proof that he is knowledgeable and growing in knowledge about all types of labor & employment issues. Similarly, if a corporate lawyer represents a company acquisition, and shares the news with her connections, she is proving how well-versed she is with mergers and acquisitions.

Another way that social media is effective in the legal industry is with recruiting. The Skills and Endorsements section on LinkedIn, recently approved by The Florida Bar, allow attorneys to hone in on the specific focuses of their practices. This makes it easier for recruiters to specify their searches and strategy.

Other platforms, such as Twitter, can be effective for different purposes. Twitter is an excellent way to bridge attorneys with the media. Regularly sharing content and using appropriate hashtags will gain them visibility with reporters, who could use them for future stories. But LinkedIn is still the proven platform that has been the game-changer for usually traditional lawyers to see the power of social media.

Amanda Velazquez is a student in the MBA program at the Huizenga College of Business and Entrepreneurship, Nova Southeastern University. She can be reached at av747@nova.edu

This entry was posted on July 15, 2016 at 3:14 PM and has received 2993 views. There are currently 22 comments. Print this entry. Download attachment.

"How a small startup business can become successful while keeping marketing costs down"

Step 1: Learn from others

First, learn from other successful businesses that were in the same unfortunate situation as your company, and they don't necessarily have to be in the same industry as you. Research a number of these companies and study their tactics, what they did to eventually yield a good profit margin, and then apply them to your business as applicable. You will be encouraged to persevere and keep going, at the least, and may even be surprised to learn along the way how a little change in their marketing strategy, possibly inexpensive at that, turned these businesses around.

Step 2: Use an online marketing strategy to get bigger and better results and organize your priorities

a) Building or revising your company's website is your first priority.

Many successful companies achieved their success or turnaround utilizing an online marketing strategy, since it has the potential to reach a much larger consumer target market and thus increase your sales volume. But before you can start on your road to success via an online marketing campaign you need to have an online presence. That means you need a website and it needs to look professional, attractive, and genuine.

You should constantly update it regarding who you are, what you do, what you represent, since in essence it represents your company's image. It needs to take a priority on your marketing to do list, before doing anything else related to your online campaign strategy is done. You don't have to hire an expensive professional website designer either. There are plenty of comparatively low cost options out there for small and startup businesses, from do it yourself off-the-shelf software for website building to website-based companies that will build one for you inexpensively or allow you to build and customize it easily yourself, like godaddy.com. Some even include, at no additional cost, search engine optimization, automatic mobile website conversion, and SMN management.

Statistically, the longer period of time your website is viewed the better the chance of a purchase or contact being made by him/her. (Note: here is where the consumer/client is in the decision phase of the buying cycle; that's why it's important to maintain their interest. A well designed website with good informative content will achieve this goal for you).

b) Inbound marketing techniques

Blogging is inexpensive to free and can increase your company's chances of being found on the Web. Blogs have the potential of establishing a business as a “thought” leader in their industries. Blogs are also a strategic tool to capture potential customers' interest and lure them to your website. In addition, blogs are a means for projecting your image, and a good image is highly valuable, since it builds trust. Blogs will allow positive preconceived and professional images of you and your company to be formed in readers' minds even before potential customers ever browse your website or call or shop at your place of business, to purchase your products or services. Blogs allow a business to give to the community, are considered a form of generosity, and potential customers, like anyone else, like to get “freebees”. This in turn helps your company's image. Notably, consumers in general feel that if you give them something for free, you and your company must be a genuine, professional, caring business, and not just in it for the money.  So write several blogs and offer free advice or helpful information in them.

What you write will help shape customer opinions and expectations in reference to your business' professional knowledge, abilities, and products. Blogs will help make your image a positive one and increase your exposure in the marketplace; it is thus important your blogs are well written and have good, remarkable content.  A word of advice about blogging, research how to write a good blog and what “power words” or keywords to include in order for search engines to effectively find and place your blog at the beginning of their search results page. Remember, the ultimate purpose of a blog is to capture readers' interest and lure them to your website, where they can get more information and/or make a purchase.

c) Social Media Networks.

In addition or as an alternative to blogs, depending on your company and/or its product/service offerings, the intelligent, strategic use of Social Media Networks (SMNs) can also increase a company's chances of being found on the Web. They will help your business establish relationships with potential customers, build trust and loyalty with them, and cause them to make purchases. Additionally, besides all that, these days there is no getting around it, if your company can't afford the costliness of using traditional marketing channels and research, you will need to use social media networks to get the word out about your company. The marketing costs associated with using SMN's are minimal to nothing to start. After building your company website you will need to place a link in your SMN content to use as a landing page for potential customers to visit, as well as a link on the company's homepage to each SMN site you utilize.

Step 3: Establish trust

It is important to understand that anyone, even criminals, can put up a good looking website, so just having a website that shows everything about you and your products might not bring your company the success you desire. Businesses need to build consumer trust before they can successfully lure customers to the company website's landing page to entice them further to make a purchase. This is especially so for brick and click retailers who want to reach non-local consumers and those companies that only sell products online. Thus, whether using blogging or SMNs, companies, small or big, need to create peace in consumers' minds, putting them at rest concerning purchase decisions, that the company is a genuine, good and honest business and not out to harm them. Owners or managers can do this by showing potential customers who you are as a company and what you sell through online demonstrations of your products and/or services.

Patricia Herrera is a student in the MBA Program at the Huizenga College of Business and Entrepreneurship.

This entry was posted on July 1, 2016 at 11:30 AM and has received 2386 views. There are currently 23 comments. Print this entry. Download attachment.

Today's consumer requires instant gratification and has little patience.  The average attention span of the average Internet user is only eight seconds, that is one second shorter than a goldfish and four seconds shorter than it was in 2000 (Connor, 2015). When today’s consumers receive something, they want it the second or minute before it actually appeared on their screen or was given to them. How do today’s marketers standout in presenting information? Rather than reading line after line of boring text, why not something visual and entertaining? Something that clearly explains and compares information about a brand or a product. Why not an infographic?

Infographics are visual representations of information, data or knowledge that present information quickly and clearly. Infographics and advertising work together in a compelling way to interest readers by simplifying information of a complicated subject and giving the viewer a visually enjoyable experience. Infographics are one of the most effective strategies of a digital marketing campaign. An infographic should be visually engaging, contain a subject matter that is appealing to your target audience, and be supported by other engaging content across your website and social channels. Conversations among millennials via texting are mostly done in abbrevs (abbreviations) and emojis, expanding on the changes in the way we communicate today.

In conclusion, we are a very visual society. Infographics are an asset to marketers – they are more likely to be viewed or clicked on over an article, and also, an easier way for consumers to take-in and comprehend information. With that said, there is already too much text in this article, so check out the links referenced below and within the article for visually compelling infographics about infographics.

References

What is an Infographic? (2016). Customer Magnetism – Digital and Social Marketing. Retrieved from https://www.customermagnetism.com/infographics/what-is-an-infographic/

Connor, M. (2015). The Vanishing Attention Span of Consumers.  Business 2 Community.  Retrieved from http://www.business2community.com/infographics/vanishing-attention-span-consumers-infographic-01222971#vk2ePYbwzwEDgwQ5.97

http://www.mdgadvertising.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/its-all-about-images-infographic_1000.png

http://www.digitaldoughnut.com/blog/blog/infographic-marketing--why-use-infographics-in-digital-marketing-infographic

Alexis Sergeant is an MBA student in the H. Wayne Huizenga College of Business and Entrepreneurship, Nova Southeastern University. She can be reached at as3181@nova.edu

This entry was posted on June 15, 2016 at 10:44 AM and has received 3298 views. There are currently 26 comments. Print this entry. Download attachment.

Oftentimes we associate marketing with a company that sells a certain product or service; however, we also market ourselves (consciously and unconsciously). We need to become more aware of our actions and how others see us, which is not just helpful for a job interview, but it is also helpful for our everyday living. With the invention of social media in particular, we should be well aware of what we are posting and how it affects us. Everything we post affects our personal brand. Here are a few tips on marketing yourself on social media:

1.      Identify your target market

Identify how each social media site can be used for a different target market. For example, LinkedIn is mostly for professional networking.  This is not the place to post photos from your Christmas party.  Facebook tends to be a little more open, but at the same time, remember it is not as private as you think.  Nothing is wrong with posting pictures having fun but take a double look at the photos to ensure they are not sending another message.

2.      Be yourself

Consumers, employers, and peers can tell when you are being fake, especially if they know you personally and see you frequently. Make sure your posts are representative of who you are. You don’t want people to wonder if they can trust you.

3.      Utilize your best asset

Get to know yourself a bit more.  Find out what your best asset is (perhaps get advice from friends) and be sure to post accordingly so you are showing off that asset.  Of course this does not mean your nicely sculpted 6-pack, unless it is relevant for your business – a gym, for example.  What you put out there is what people will gravitate toward.

4.      Grammar is still important

When making posts on any social media site, remember to spell check and also grammar check.  You don’t want people to think you cannot communicate effectively. Most text editors come with some type of integrated language help.

5.      Set your privacy options

Some social media sites allow you to change your permissions.  For example, on Facebook you can choose who you want to see certain pictures or certain posts.  There is also a feature that allows you to approve photos you are tagged in before they get posted to your profile.  Even though you were out last night enjoying a drink with your friends, the photo you are tagged in might send a completely different message.

6.      Pay attention to other people’s privacy

Have a professional message that you can use when sending a friend invitation on a professional network such as LinkedIn. Don’t become a stalker if a person does not respond or fails to communicate with you. Respect their privacy and don’t share conversations or other content that might be sensitive.

7.      Be careful who you add

Add individuals you know or are familiar with.  If someone adds you and you do not know them, do some research on them, look at the mutual connections and ask your friends about them before you add them.  They could either be a great connection that could lead to opportunities or just someone fishing for personal information.

8.      Do not post too frequently

It is important to post content and update your profile, so that your network can get to know your personality; however do not overdo it.  Posting every 5 minutes can become very annoying, especially if the posts are similar. 

9.      Watch out for likes and comments

Be careful what you like and the type of comments that you make.  Remember those are seen by persons you do not know as well.  What you like and the types of comments you make says a lot about who you are as a person. It might also come back to haunt you at some point in the future.

10.  Know your social media sites

Not all sites are for you.  Select your choice of social media sites carefully.  Be in tune with what each type of site is used for, and ensure that your posts are within their guidelines.  This shows that you respect the site, yourself and also the people using it.

Nicolette Satchell is an MBA student in the H. Wayne Huizenga College of Business and Entrepreneurship at Nova Southeastern University. She can be reached at ns1016@nova.edu

This entry was posted on June 1, 2016 at 9:16 AM and has received 5777 views. There are currently 80 comments. Print this entry. Download attachment.

How many times have we watched a video or read an article on the Internet about increasing sales by leveraging the Internet and social media to do so? How many times have we heard or read enticing ads about how to guide traffic to our website for more sales; yet it seemed like getting someone to tell us how was as evasive as the search for the Holy Grail? Well, here we discuss how to attract more sales by using a few techniques with virtually no investment – other than time.

First, it is important to understand what drives traffic to your site, how it occurs, and why. A very high percentage of people now use the Internet as a go-to when trying to solve a problem. Research refers to this as a pain point or driving need that motivates a person to find an answer or find someone who can direct them to the answer that will solve their problem (Barry, 2015; Brown, 2012). Once that person or company is located, the individual with the pain point begins reading the information posted on the Internet that will hopefully solve their problem. As the consumers find this person that understands their problem, they begin to follow that individual down a path to finally arrive at the right solution as guided by the person they now trust. So businesses can leverage this idea to increase traffic to their website and hopefully increase sales.

So how can you increase traffic to your website? Write a blog, much like the one you are reading now. It’s a conversation from friend to friend, basically; and written in everyday language. It is very useful for consumers, especially once they find the right post and person posting information that makes sense to them. Information consumers can trust might lead them to ask more questions and find answers that ultimately guide them to the purchase decision.

A consumer had a problem, then s/he searched for an answer, s/he found a blog that answered the initial question. S/he then went deeper to explore your options, then centered on a possible solution. From a general search and reading a blog about it, to asking more questions of the writer of the blog s/he arrived at a sound decision; s/he made the choice and the final purchase. That is the perfect conclusion to the inbound marketing funnel. The writer of the initial blog became the industry expert in your mind who helped direct you to the right answer. This is the way through which a simple blog post can become so beneficial for a business and so instrumental in leading to increased sales.

Write a blog and post it on your website if you have one, or on someone else’s if they let you. You can use social media as a vehicle to get your blog posted and to gain exposure. Not to mention the fact that Google and other search engines will rank your website much higher if you write a blog and update it often with great content.

References

Barry, J. (2015). Social content marketing for entrepreneurs. New York, NY: Business Expert Press.

Brown, N. (2012). Building an inbound marketing funnel: Part 1 – top of the funnel. Retrieved from http://go.browncreativegroup.com/blog/bid/212492/Building-an-Inbound-Marketing-Funnel-Part-1-Top-of-the-Funnel

Biography

Dr. Bruce Campbell is a professor, lecturer, and consultant on the use of ecommerce by using today’s technology in innovative ways that promote close relationships while closing the transactional distance between buyers and sellers. He is currently an MBA student in Marketing in the H. Wayne Huizenga College of Business and Entrepreneurship. Dr. Campbell can be reached through email to answer further questions about this and other topics: bruccamp@nova.edu

This entry was posted on May 16, 2016 at 9:18 AM and has received 5219 views. There are currently 81 comments. Print this entry. Download attachment.

The first recreational marijuana advertisement created for TV was in the talks and negotiations in Colorado with ABC's Denver Affiliate, but never aired after all, according to Advertising Age. Cannabis marketing agency Cannabrand tried to run a commercial for Neos, a vaporizer and cannabis oil company, before “Jimmy Kimmy Live”. Colorado’s Amendment 64 permits TV advertising if 70% of the audience is at least 21 years old. However, airway transmissions are still federally regulated and marijuana is still illegal at the federal level.

Nevertheless, there is a large and developing online advertising market in this domain, and even before receiving green light for TV commercials, there are a few ethical questions that advertising for products like alcohol and cigarettes has also brought into discussion. The current advertising context makes it even more complex due to the widespread access to Internet, viral advertising potential, and global access to online information. There are the classical issues related to exposing children and other vulnerable categories to this type of ads.

There is the potential of spreading the message in areas and countries where the product is illegal, even just for the fact that the advertisement is an excellent viral ad.

Is it ethical from the part of marketers?

Can you blame a marketer for creating a great ad for a product legal in his/her state or country?

As far as controlling distribution and access only in legal states and countries, it is clear it is extremely difficult online, with easy download, copying and reposting… Can we count on consumers’ common sense in managing these issues, their advertising entertainment and their brownie ingredients as a function of local regulations?

Maria Petrescu, Ph.D., is Assistant Professor of Marketing in the H. Wayne Huizenga College of Business and Entrepreneurship, Nova Southeastern University. She can be reached at mpetresc@nova.edu

This entry was posted on May 2, 2016 at 12:51 PM and has received 3887 views. There are currently 11 comments. Print this entry. Download attachment.