Module3 Final

Consumer purchases are at times second nature. When making a purchase it is not usual for a buyer to think why they chose an item or what utility it offers to them. As simple a task as that may seem, there is a sort of science behind how consumers purchase and the steps taken that affects their decisions. It is the field of marketing that put this into perspective. You could say that marketing is the science of validating, altering and confirming consumer’s purchasing decisions. Three articles I’ve found support the idea that marketing has a great impact on buyer’s decision making.
In her article “Missed College Market: They Have Millions in Spending Power, but Businesses Might be Missing an Opportunity by not Marketing to College Students” (Knight Ridder Tribune Business News, 2008), Jane Brisset explores the opportunities many business miss out on by not targeting the college market. She supports her view with many facts and statistics that put the loss of potential into monetary figures. She goes on to say, “Nationwide, college students and their parents will spend $36.6 billion returning to campus this year.” The impact of not marketing to this age group is evident with this fact. The reality is, college enrollment is increasing year over year, and this group could easily drive an economy to be successful. According to Brisset, it is unclear why businesses are missing the mark when it comes to college students spending power. She writes, “I think it's ignored because these people are easily overlooked.” When businesses fail to notice this group, they are overlooking billions of dollars.
On the other hand, there does seem to be one business in particular that does not neglect the opportunity to profit from the college age market. The alcohol industry spends millions of dollars a year making their products available to that market. Another article explores this premise. The article, entitled “The marketing of alcohol to college students: The role of low prices and special promotions.” The author of this article, Meichun Kuo, investigates the use of marketing to introduce alcohol to college age students. It is no secret that many college students suffer from binge drinking and many die from
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this epidemic. According to studies conducted by the author, “Among the 830 on-premise locations surrounding college campuses, the prices for a single drink, pitcher, or the largest volume were significantly correlated with college binge-drinking rates: The lower average alcohol sale price among on-premise establishments surrounding the college campus, the higher the college binge drinking rate.” These businesses are effectively marketing to the group resulting in high profits for the business but it leaves them with an ethical dilemma. Although businesses are operating to make a profit, they also have a social responsibility to know where to draw the line. Prices and promotions show a direct correlation with college students and binge drinking. The author goes on to discuss the efforts to reduce binge drinking and how they have mainly been centered on education and changing the behavior of college students. Ultimately the author supports reform of marketing regulation and practices to alleviate the problems marketing alcohol to college students creates.
Demonstrated in an editorial by Jane Workman, the article “Promotional Product Marketing, College Students and Social Identity” explores ways companies market their product with the use of promotional items. According to Workman, "Promotional products marketing is an umbrella term for imprinted merchandise such as T-shirts, writing instruments, baseball caps, and coffee mugs" (Workman 1). Often these items are distributed throughout college campuses to raise awareness of their products and services. These can include alcohol and credit card companies promoting their products. Workman conducted an on campus study to determine the amount of exposure college students have with this type of merchandise. Among students at one university, more than 45% owned alcohol promotional items, with T-shirts and hats the most common items (Workman, 2004). While this practice seems to be popular among companies, Workman does discuss the effectiveness of this type of marketing as well. The conclusion she draws from her study supports the idea that “many promotional items are effective
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in promoting a company's product; some may be too effective in promoting products that are harmful to the financial, physical, or mental health of consumers” (Workman 2004). The fact that businesses spend enormous amounts of money on this type of marketing proves that is a very effective way to raise brand awareness.
The truth is marketing is a powerful and effective tool. Corporations are wise to the successes that marketing has brought to them and will continue to use this tool to their advantage. Ethical or not, it is an important part of consumerism and doing business.












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Works Cited
Harvard School of Public Health. "Binge Drinking Tied To Conditions In The College Environment." ScienceDaily 14 July 2008. 14 November 2008 .

" Knight Ridder Tribune Business News 28 August 2006 1. ABI/INFORM Dateline. ProQuest. University of Michigan-Dearborn, Dearborn, MI. 6 Nov. 2008


Jane E Workman, Beth Winfrey Freeburg. "Promotional Product Marketing, College Students, and Social Identity. " Journal of Family and Consumer Sciences 100.1 (2008): 43-49. Research Library. ProQuest. University of Michigan-Dearborn, Dearborn, MI. 16 Nov. 2008