Drugi jezik na kojem je dostupan ovaj članak: Bosnian
By: Vito Kasumović, Search Engine Optimisation & Content Analyst, iProspect, Dentsu Aegis Network
Source: HURA
Let’s imagine an entrepreneur who, passing through the desert, noticed that it would be the perfect place for rest.
Thus he made a small oasis – a place for weary travelers and a shelter from merciless elements. Knowing the basics of economics, he thoroughly studied and harmonized four well-known marketing elements: sales, promotion, price and product.
Optimistically rubbing his hands, our hero rejoiced to see the first guests, but in a couple of weeks he began to worry. People were passing by the oasis, but eventually just continued on their way, suspiciously glancing at the oasis. Our protagonist couldn’t understand why his product, apparently of good quality and useful, did not receive the expected demand. He was not aware of the fact that the travelers in the desert were accustomed to fraud and mischief, so the oasis seemed to be like a mirage. Eventually he realized what was the element that the desert was missing – Responsibility.
Marketers should be aware of the power in which the economy influences human relationships in society and life philosophy in general. Advertising is our daily companion which pervades our mood and forms our opinions. Every day in our mailbox, both physical and electronical, we find new unwanted deals, unmercifully informing us about products that are not of interest to us and which often do not function as they are advertised. The same is happening while we walk down the street, drive in traffic, rest in front of a TV, or enjoy a lunch. It’s not just a matter of frequency, but also the degree of intrusion: TV adverts (which seem to last forever) are regularly louder than the rest of the program, pop-ups stubbornly interfere with us while surfing, and we can find more and more useless leaflets more often on our cars. Therefore, it is not surprising that because of the misleading, covert, and increasingly aggressive advertising, the public often loses confidence in modern market communications, which leads to ignoring of advertising messages and the bad rep of the marketing industry. This results in even more aggressive and intrusive advertising, perpetuating the vicious circle.
One of the consequences of aggression is the ad blocker fever that has “infected” even the Google Chrome, which since 15 February 2018 checks all ads on the web pages and removes those formats that “annoy” users.
Aggressiveness has also penetrated into social networks such as Facebook, which is being abandoned by more and more members of the Y generation, or Millennials. Because of this, as of 2018, Facebook has decided to change the newsfeed algorithm in an attempt to reduce the share of paid advertisements, increase the volume of high-quality posts (such as the posts of friends and family) and encourage social interaction.
Unethical behavior can also be noticed among new marketing stars – influencers, who increasingly use covert advertising to hide the actual nature of the message in the content. They are, however, often only a tool in the hands of large companies, most likely the tourist companies and hotel chains that offer free travel and accommodation in exchange for the Instagram posts, and the fashion industry that often uses influencers for covert advertising. Such advertising is increasingly under the scrutiny of inspection bodies, which can be seen on the example of Lord & Taylor department store which was forced to conclude a deal with the FTC about the allegations that it used concealed advertising through native advertisements and 50 influencers.
Problems – especially with traditional media – are somewhat legally regulated, but the major threat is creeping in through a global and decentralized network of increasingly demanding and new interactive communication channels and digital technologies that leave little space for control and intervention on the part of a state apparatus.
We also shouldn’t forget that consumer data has often been irresponsibly exploited. Steps are being taken on a global scale in line with the trends of raising awareness of personal rights and freedoms of individuals. In this direction, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) was adopted, which came into force on 25 May. and made major changes in the field of personal data protection, the consequences of which will particularly affect the marketing industry.
With responsible advertising, we establish control over ourselves and take our fate into our own hands. This is in our best interest not only as marketing experts, but also as people. We often start to appreciate some things only when we lose them.