Mass Marketing

A strategy that employs media outlets to target a non-differentiated audience is known as mass marketing. Newspapers, radio, and television are cited as examples. In times when technology and information were deemed to be in short supply, the strategy proved to be very successful. The 17th century in America is where mass marketing first emerged, according to several of the publications detailing its history, including (Tedlow, and Jones, 2014, 12). According to the source, as “transportation and communication infrastructure” developed, mass marketing became a viable alternative for the many businesses and industries operating today. However, the rise of technology, the social nature of diversity, and abundance in information, in the 21st century has rendered the approach obsolete. This paper discusses this subject matter with the main aim of demonstrating that mass marketing is dead.

Rise of Technology

A key contributor of the fall of mass marketing has been technology or more accurately the rise of available and advanced technology. Several examples can be provided to justify this proposition. For instance, the rise of digital media, supported by growth in mobile technology, and finally presence of social media have reshaped the communication and information industry. (Perrin, 2015, 2) supports this proposition by highlighting that as at 2015, 65% of American adults employed the use of social media. This rise is largely fuelled by the growth of mobile technology with examples such as smartphones, tablets and computers. Therefore, one can clearly see how traditional media platforms such as television and radio are on the decline, mainly because of the availability of numerous substitutes. Therefore, one should understand that with increasing availability of new media platforms, traditional sources seem to appear irrelevant, mainly because they do not cater to the diversified needs of the public.

Decline Stakeholder Performance

Another important example that can be provided as to the decline of mass marketing is a fall in the companies and industries that participate in it. This is justified by (Christopherson, 2014, 141), who points out that television companies based in Hollywood are facing a fiscal/financial crisis prompting the decline discussed. Further elaboration points out that the lack of enough resources to further a global reach by these companies is a key contributor to the decline. Outcomes that justify this proposition is that of decline in ”employment and production capacity,” (Christopherson, 2014, 141). Therefore, a key evidence that helps one understand how mass marketing is an obsolete approach is that of the decline or downward trajectory, from a performance perspective, of the involved stakeholders. This is another perspective that helps in the comprehension of why mass marketing in general is categorized as highly ineffective in current times.

Summary and Conclusion

There are two major factors discussed that support the premise of this paper regarding the decline of mass marketing. The first one is that of the rise of new technology that makes media and information accessibility diversified, with examples such as social media and mobile technology. The second major point discussed is a decrease in performance and capacity of the involved stakeholders in traditional media. The example provided for the second factor is that of a downward trajectory in companies, in the broader context of the Television and entertainment industries, largely understood as Hollywood. An additional factor provided, to further the argument that mass marketing is dead is the diversified nature of society. This supports why mobile technology has had a tremendous growth at the global level, and social media has increasingly become a reliable source of news and information. Therefore, companies must understand this trend and respond accordingly, failure to which, they too shall be rendered obsolete.

List of

References

Christopherson, S., 2013. Hollywood in decline? US film and television producers beyond the era of fiscal crisis. Cambridge journal of regions, economy and society, 6(1), pp.141-157.

Perrin, A., 2015. Social media usage. Pew Research Center.

Tedlow, R.S., 2014. The Rise and Fall of Mass Marketing (RLE Marketing) (Vol. 25). Routledge.