A Comparison of Consumer and Political Marketing

The process of winning an election is fundamentally a marketing problem. This is demonstrated by the way candidates puts themselves on the voters’ market and use contemporary techniques of marketing to influence voters. To maximize voters’ ‘purchase,’ the politicians employ marketing strategies such as marketing research and commercial promotion to woe voters on their side. The ‘products’ of politicians is their collection of political beliefs and principles (Burns). These political ‘products’ differ from consumer products in several ways.

Consumer products such as a can of beans are comparatively fixed in term of their features at a given period in the market. On the contrary, most of the time, the political set of beliefs keep on varying in the course of a campaign and over time. Political candidates read the mood and try to suit the public needs. Additionally, consumer goods can be easily be varied to meet specific consumer demands. For example, Aloe Vera soap is custom-made to care for inflammations on the skin. However, a politicians principles cannot be varied freely because history and personality that one possesses is permanent (Lees-Marshment). For instance, an older politician cannot be ‘altered’ to become younger just because voters demand a younger leader. Besides, consumer products are usually available for purchase at all times at the discretion of the consumer. Contrarily, political ‘products’ are only available for sale after a specified period or after an occurrence of an event (by-election) (Lees-Marshment).

Seemingly, despite the similarities in the marketing approach of consumer goods and political ‘products,’ there are still outstanding differences between the two.

What issues might you have when launching a product in another country?

Product launch, whether international or local, faces many issues. However, there some challenges that are more likely to be encountered while launching a product in a global market as opposed to the local market. These issues include difficulties in identifying a true market need, possibilities of diluting the brand and encounters with cultural nuance, among others (Hill).

Discovering the needs of a foreign market is tough. The difficulty is contributed by issues such as unfamiliarity with the culture and even local laws. Besides, it is possible to assume that the reaction of the market in another country towards the product will be the same as in the local market. If contradicted, the outcome is likely to undergo huge losses. If the reaction of the market is not as projected, then the subsequent effect is brand dilution (Hill). The perception of the consumers towards the product may be positive in the local market. However, suppose that the product receives resentment from foreign country’s market, the overall brand value is diluted. Lastly, humor marketing message contributes significantly to the consumption of the product. However, what is humorous in one culture may not be the same as in another culture. Consequently, launching a product in a foreign country forces an organization to customize most of its messaging systems (Hill).

Do service staff help or hinder service delivery? How do staff uniforms add to customer experiences? Give an example from your company

Strategically placed and well-trained service staff help smoothen service delivery. An excellent service delivery depends on a range of factors including a timely response from the staff, cleanliness of the premises, and generally, a friendly customer service. Most of the time, these services are provided by service staff. For instance, a stranded or an illiterate customer in a supermarket or next to a vending machine may be assisted by a well-trained and customer-oriented service staff.  Nonetheless, it essential to emphasize the role of ethics and understanding of the operation of the organization. Ethical and well-trained service staff is helpful. 

Staff uniforms create a sense of belonging and an excellent first impression. For example, in the medical field, surgeons and nurses put on uniforms as a way of identification, share a feeling of commonness and sometimes as a protective mechanism. With uniforms, it is easy for a patient to identify the right person to seek help from (Timmons and East).

Works Cited

Burns, Willis. “The Marketing Of A Politician: Selling Without A Product.” 15 October 2014. Forbes.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/willburns/2014/10/15/the-marketing-of-a-politician-selling-without-a-product/#472d5e527914. 04 September 2018.

Hill, Brian. ”What Are Some Challenges That Firms Face for International Marketing?” 29 June 2018. Chron.

https://smallbusiness.chron.com/challenges-firms-face-international-marketing-3356.html. 04 September 2018.

Lees-Marshment, Jennifer. Political Marketing: Principles and Applications. Abingdon: Routledge, 2009. Print.

Timmons, Stephen and Linda East. ”Uniforms, status and professional boundaries in hospital.” Sociology of Health and Illness (2011): 1035–1049. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1467-9566.2011.01357.x.