Values And Beliefs Influenced By Diamond Industry Cultural Studies Essay

Values And Beliefs Influenced By Diamond Industry Cultural Studies Essay The power of advertising throughout the 20th and 21st century has been great upon the American popular culture as well as the rest of the civilized world. This is so because advertising infiltrates and shapes our cultural dialogue/space by influencing and directing its course. Furthermore the influence of the advertising/marketing machine has singlehandedly changed many cultural beliefs and their values. This is effortlessly evident by analyzing the diamond industry, which has been shaping beliefs and values of romantic love within our society and beyond. These values and beliefs influenced by diamond industry or to say Diamond Cartel, have become deeply embedded within our popular culture. This was achieved by constant and ingenious advertising over the last 80 years. Even though diamonds are gemstones with great properties they are not as valuable as they are portrayed in our society. The rule of thumb for the high value of the gemstones or anything else in general is that those ge ms or precious metals have to be rare. Hence the fact that diamonds are actually abundant on our planet is a fact very well hidden from the general public. The extreme value of the diamonds is not achieved by their valuable properties, but mainly via the monopoly held by the diamond cartel. DeBeers or the diamond cartel over the years has carefully planned and used advertising as well as various marketing strategies to grow their diamond empire and by doing so they achieved unfathomed wealth. They did this by twisting, influencing and finally transforming our cultural values, into a belief that diamonds are the ultimate symbols of everlasting love. The effect of this aggressive 80 years long marketing campaign structured by DeBeers is that for the; engagements, weddings, anniversaries, Valentines Day and all the other meaningful love associated events in our life; the diamonds are seen as the greatest gift of love. This is so even though diamonds and their production are far from the affectionate or compassionate industry, in reality its quite contrary. Most buyers are unaware that in gifting their lovers with these aesthetically-beautiful symbols, they are supporting industries which damage the environment, utilize forced labor, cause serious health problems, and contribute to violent conflicts. (Donohoe, 2008, p. 164) Introduction The allure of diamonds we can trace throughout the known history, they are the hardest, the most enduring and sparkling of all precious stones. The word diamond comes from the Greek word adamas, meaning unconquerable. As far as our reliable records reach back into the dim and mystic ages, we find the diamond occupying a prominent position in the estimation of man. (Endlich, 1878, p. 30) A diamond is a translucent precious stone made from one of the earths most widespread element; carbon and it is one of the best known allotropes of carbon. The creation of diamonds began very early during the formation of the planet. They were formed deep within the earth, cooked by extreme temperatures and pressure. When the planets surface cooled, a volcanic activity forced hot magma to the surface, bringing with it the diamonds. However not all diamonds are found where they first came to the surface, because consequential erosion of the top soils over millions of years transported and deposited diamonds along the river banks, the shorelines or on the bed of the oceans. The most important diamond value looked upon by man is its highest hardness and thermal conductivity of any bulk material, making it perfect for industrial applications in cutting and polishing. Above all other of its qualities, which at present determine its value, the superior hardness to all substances then known, seems to have impressed the Ancients. (Endlich, 1878, p. 30) There are two ways of mining diamonds and they are Pipe Mining and Alluvial Mining. The Pipe mining refers to the extraction of diamonds from the volcanic pipes, as for the Alluvial mining it is a process where diamonds are extracted from the alluvial deposits which are sand, gravel and clay that have been naturally enriched with diamonds by soil and water erosion as mentioned above. Background Until the late 1800s diamonds were a genuinely rare stone found only in a small number of riverbeds in India and in the jungles of Brazil. The entire world production of gem diamonds amounted to only several pounds a year. In 1870, however vast diamond deposits were discovered in South Africa. Almost immediately diamonds were being mined by the tons, this inevitably caused diamonds to flood the market. To the financiers who developed the South African mines this fact spelled imminent danger for their investments, because at the time diamonds had little intrinsic value and their price depended to a great extent on their scarcity. They feared that overdevelopment of diamond mines in South Africa and beyond, will cause diamonds to lose value and become only semiprecious gems. Quickly, the major investors realized that they need to control the diamond trade in order to perpetuate the illusion that the diamonds are rare/scarce. Hence in 1888 they created DeBeers Consolidated Mines Ltd., which was incorporated in the South Africa. Shortly after its incorporation, DeBeers took control over all aspects of the world diamond trade. DeBeers a diamond cartel took many forms and it used many different names for its operational units all over the globe. In Europe, it was called the C.S.O. or the Central Selling Organization, in London it operated under the name of The Diamond Trading Company, in Israel it was known as The Syndicate, and in Africa it disguised its South African origins under subsidiaries with names like Diamond Development Corporation and Mining Services, Inc. For most of the time since its inception DeBeers Consolidated Mines Ltd., not only directly owned or controlled all the diamond mines in southern Africa but also owned diamond trading companies in England, Portugal, Israel, Belgium, Holland, and Switzerland. DeBeers Consolidated Mines Ltd., became the most successful cartel pact in the history of the modern trade. While all other commodities, such as the other precious gems, gold, silver, copper etc., oscillated wildly with the economic conditions; diamonds have continued to move upward in price every year since the great depression or better to say since the beginning of the aggressive marketing campaign employed by DeBeers in order to promote diamonds. It is easy to conclude that the Diamond cartel had conceived their business plan with two parts; first to control the supply of diamonds, than to influence the demand. What De Beers did and are doing even today is a classic textbook example of a monopoly, for this reason they are forbidden to operate on the United States soil, stemming from the provisions in the Sherman Act, which states that any conspiracy in restraint of trade is unlawful. Nonetheless, they were and still are selling 50% of the worlds annual diamond sales in the USA; through their various subsidiaries or American dealers who can purchase diamonds only from the cartel, what we have to realize is that this is going on since the late 1800s until modern time. Thought the South African source of the worlds diamonds supply is still going strong, we, as a nation, sport more than half of the sparkling carbon crystals worn anywhere. (MacDill, 1929, p. 125) Even thought their business practices are very important for the analysis of their ethical business operation, I will focus more on their marketing plan and the efforts done over a period of the last century, where they strived to control and influence the masses, public opinion and ultimately shape cultural beliefs all over the globe. B. Ingenious and constant advertising efforts of the De Beers diamond mining cartel since 1930s has profoundly affected and shaped our popular culture within the United States and beyond. During the great depression, diamond industry experienced its first and last so far; diamond crisis, during which the price of diamonds was declining worldwide. This turn of the events has motivated DeBeers a diamond cartel to begin their aggressive advertising campaign, which influenced public opinion and changed cultural beliefs worldwide. They needed to change public attitudes towards diamonds and influence them to believe that diamonds have value beyond the economic worth. In September of 1938, after Harry Oppenheimer then CEO of De Beers Consolidated Mines Ltd, has traveled to New York City and meet with Gerald M. Lauck, the president of N. W. Ayer advertising company, the advertising plan was devised. Two goals of this campaign are; first to persuade men to buy bigger diamonds, second to persu ade women that diamonds are necessity to romantic love and courtship. II. Diamonds as symbols of everlasting love. A. First and the most effective marketing strategy employed by DeBeers has been the marketing of diamonds as a symbol of love and commitment. DeBeers realized that in order for diamonds to become a symbol of love and courtship they had to change their meaning completely. They set out to do this trough three main ways; a. trough movies and royalty, b. news stories linking diamonds and love, c. advertising campaign. What was necessary was the creation of a mass mentality in which women would perceived diamonds, not as precious stones that could be bought and sold according to economic conditions or fashion, but as an inseparable part of courtship and married life. (Epstein, 1982, p. 6) Overall impact of this campaign on the popular culture has been that diamonds are central when thinking about the rituals of romantic courtship. Today, diamond engagement rings are commonplace and are seen as the essential part of our courtship. Since 1939 an entirely new generation of young people has grown to marriageable age. To this new generation, a diamond ring is considered a necessity for engagement to virtually everyone. N.W. Ayers memo. (Epstein, 1982) After the world war two, the diamond industry realized that they are in a desperate need of a slogan, which will represent their symbols of love. In 1948, N.W. Ayer Son coined a now ultra famous slogan A Diamond is Forever. Today this slogan is seen and understood by general masses as an allusion to the eternity of love. What is peculiar about this slogan is that in reality it has actually arisen from the fear that people will place second hand jewelry back on the market, which would ultimately undercut prices of the diamonds. The prestigious US magazine, Advertising Age, in its January 1999 edition, proclaimed A Diamond is Forever the most recognized and effective slogan of the twentieth century. B. Second strategy of DeBeers cartel aimed to extend the symbolic meaning of the diamond rings from the engagement to the anniversaries, which will symbolize reassurance of lasting love. Therefore in their second marketing strategy they began focusing on a 10 year anniversaries. Once this strategy proved to be successful De Beers extended anniversaries even further and began advertising campaign for their third marketing strategy/idea, which was focusing on the 25th anniversary. Furthermore in their fourth marketing strategy DeBeers decided to expand their target market to the men as the recipients of diamonds, which as well proved to be successful. The most recent major DeBeers marketing campaign or strategy #5; is the expansion of the existing target market to the women as buyers of diamonds for themselves, doing this mainly by associating diamonds with the independence. Even though there is some positive empirical data it is still too early since the inception of this strategy, for the same to be evaluated. Another successful promotion that falls within the frames of strategy # 1, 2 and 3, is the eternity ring campaign, which was presented as a symbol of continuing affection and the admiration of the loved ones. Like wedding rings, eternity rings are a symbol of everlasting love. Although eternity rings are frequently given to celebrate an anniversary or other special event such as the birth of a child, there is no precise occasion for which to give this exceptional gift. Given as a tangible symbol of the promise to love forever, an eternity ring is a beautiful way to show the love of your life how much she means to you. What does Thomas Shelby think is amusing about the Eternity Ring is that at the height of the cold war, the Russian diamonds from Siberia, which are in the eternity ring were successfully marketed and sold in USA . Latest in the major campaign of diamond rings is the Trilogy Ring, which is representing the past, present and the future of a love relationship. Three stones. Three stories. But only one you. The Trilogy ring frames three diamonds one to represent your past, another to represent your present and the last to represent your future. The perfect embodiment of your life story? III. Diamonds as symbols of esteem, prestige and sophistication. A. De beers and N.W. Ayer Son are responsible for the creation of the idea that diamonds are rare and valuable, and that they are also an essential signs of love, esteem and prestige. Analogous to the campaign, which was transforming the diamonds into the symbols of love, a subliminal undercurrent of prestige was ever present, underlining and accenting the meaning of diamonds. For this subliminal undercurrent the idea was to correlate diamonds with the sophisticated undertone of art and classiness. Hence N.W. Ayer also arranged for movie stars to appear at social events adorned with diamonds. The agency used its influence to modify film scripts and movie titles to feature diamonds more prominently. Motion pictures seldom include scenes showing the selection of or purchase of an engagement ring to a girl. It would be our plan to contact scenario writers and directors and arrange for such scenes in suitable productions N.W. Ayers memo to DeBeers. (Epstein, 1982) In addition to Hollywood, DeBeers used the royalty worldwide to act as the promotional agents for the diamond industry, once again accenting prestige, esteem and sophistication. The result of these marketing campaigns is that global annual sales of diamonds rose up from 23 million US dollars in 1939 to 50 billion in 2001. IV. Conclusion Empirical and analytical data collected over the past decades about the DeBeers Ltd. or diamond industry in general, shows a very unfavorable and completely opposite reality than it is portrayed in our general society. Edward Epstein discovered that the real business of the diamond industry is the restriction what comes out of the ground, what got cut, how much went on the market and at the same time creating the idea that there is a great demand. Besides these unethical and illegal business malpractices DeBeers is associated with the Apartheid regime because they made use of many institutions that created Apartheid in South Africa. Another known fact is that DeBeers created mining workforce from the black people living on the land, by creating taxes for their land. Furthermore working conditions for these miners in South Africa were poor, with not much food, living in conditions where hostels had 20 people per room and all this while mining 60 hours a week. Moreover in India over 10 0.000 children under the age of 13, comprise a significant part of the Indian labor pool that cuts small diamonds, which ultimately makes possible for the production of cheap jewelry in the western world. The most atrocious trait diamond cartel has is its direct responsibility for influencing loss of the human life trough diamond wars. DeBeers were connected to many conflict diamonds, dubbed Blood Diamonds because of the loss of human life and blood spilled in support of the diamond production and control of mines in some African countries. So how it is that these accepted symbols of love, which come from human exploitation, suffering and even death, flourish in our society and are seen as symbols described above? To answer this we have to turn to the analysis of the advertising in general, and in which ways it affects and influences a human psyche. First of all we have to understand that the advertising is a discourse trough and about objects. In our case the diamond story or DeBeers is a discourse of a story about love, intimacy and family, and this story is told through and about diamonds. To understand this hyper-commercialized world we have to make sure that we ask the right questions about the power of advertising. The wrong question is; does an advertising campaign increase sales of that particular product or a brand. But the right question would be in cultural perspective; how does advertising influence the way we think about ourselves, about the world, about what is good and bad, as well as right or wrong. We have to think about how advertising influences our values and our identities. And finally we have to understand that advertising talks to us about subjects that are important, but it does it trough the medium of things. This extremely successful diamond advertising campaign has changed very little since its inception in 1938 for the reason that it has been fantastically successful in the endeavor of influencing the demand and sale of diamonds. Three general points to draw from the diamond advertising examples are; 1. The present has been constructed by actions in history, 2. Advertising power is based on making sure other competing messages about products are not allowed to be heard, 3. Our ideas about things that matter to us like family, friends, intimacy, sexuality, security etc. are shaped by the broader cultural environment of which advertising is a key part. It is said that the cartels greatest accomplishment is that it has created and upheld the illusion that the diamonds are scarce and valuable, even though approximately 130 million carats (26,000 kg (57,000 lb)) of diamonds are mined annually. Although all these deceptive messages and beliefs are played upon us as society, we have to remember that the diamond deception is not a one-person play, because deceiver and deceived play a part in this deception collaboration.

Digital Fortress Chapter 55-58

Chapter 55 â€Å"You're in my seat, asshole.† Becker lifted his head off his arms. Doesn't anyone speak Spanish in this damn country? Glaring down at him was a short, pimple-faced teenager with a shaved head. Half of his scalp was red and half was purple. He looked like an Easter egg. â€Å"I said you're in my seat, asshole.† â€Å"I heard you the first time,† Becker said, standing up. He was in no mood for a fight. It was time to go. â€Å"Where'd you put my bottles?† the kid snarled. There was a safety pin in his nose. Becker pointed to the beer bottles he'd set on the ground. â€Å"They were empty.† â€Å"They were my fuckin' empties!† â€Å"My apologies,† Becker said, and turned to go. The punk blocked his way. â€Å"Pick 'em up!† Becker blinked, not amused. â€Å"You're kidding, right?† He was a full foot taller and outweighed the kid by about fifty pounds. â€Å"Do I fuckin' look like I'm kidding?† Becker said nothing. â€Å"Pick 'em up!† The kid's voice cracked. Becker attempted to step around him, but the teenager blocked his way. â€Å"I said, fuckin' pick 'em up!† Stoned punks at nearby tables began turning to watch the excitement. â€Å"You don't want to do this, kid,† Becker said quietly. â€Å"I'm warning you!† The kid seethed. â€Å"This is my table! I come here every night. Now pick 'em up!† Becker's patience ran out. Wasn't he supposed to be in the Smokys with Susan? What was he doing in Spain arguing with a psychotic adolescent? Without warning, Becker caught the kid under the armpits, lifted him up, and slammed his rear end down on the table. â€Å"Look, you runny-nosed little runt. You're going to back off right now, or I'm going to rip that safety pin out of your nose and pin your mouth shut.† The kid's face went pale. Becker held him a moment, then he released his grip. Without taking his eyes off the frightened kid, Becker stooped down, picked up the bottles, and returned them to the table. â€Å"What do you say?† he asked. The kid was speechless. â€Å"You're welcome,† Becker snapped. This kid's a walking billboard for birth control. â€Å"Go to hell!† the kid yelled, now aware of his peers laughing at him. â€Å"Ass-wipe!† Becker didn't move. Something the kid had said suddenly registered. I come here every night. Becker wondered if maybe the kid could help him. â€Å"I'm sorry,† Becker said, â€Å"I didn't catch your name.† â€Å"Two-Tone,† he hissed, as if he were giving a death sentence. â€Å"Two-Tone?† Becker mused. â€Å"Let me guess†¦ because of your hair?† â€Å"No shit, Sherlock.† â€Å"Catchy name. Make that up yourself?† â€Å"Damn straight,† he said proudly. â€Å"I'm gonna patent it.† Becker scowled. â€Å"You mean trademark it?† The kid looked confused. â€Å"You'd need a trademark for a name,† Becker said. â€Å"Not a patent.† â€Å"Whatever!† the punk screamed in frustration. The motley assortment of drunken and drugged-out kids at the nearby tables were now in hysterics. Two-Tone stood up and sneered at Becker. â€Å"What the fuck do you want from me?† Becker thought a moment. I want you to wash your hair, cleanup your language, and get a job. Becker figured it was too much to ask on a first meeting. â€Å"I need some information,† he said. â€Å"Fuck you.† â€Å"I'm looking for someone.† â€Å"I ain't seen him.† â€Å"Haven't seen him,† Becker corrected as he flagged a passing waitress. He bought two Aguila beers and handed one to Two-Tone. The boy looked shocked. He took a swig of beer and eyed Becker warily. â€Å"You hitting on me, mister?† Becker smiled. â€Å"I'm looking for a girl.† Two-Tone let out a shrill laugh. â€Å"You sure as hell ain't gonna get any action dressed like that!† Becker frowned. â€Å"I'm not looking for action. I just need to talk to her. Maybe you could help me find her.† Two-Tone set down his beer. â€Å"You a cop?† Becker shook his head. The kid's eyes narrowed. â€Å"You look like a cop.† â€Å"Kid, I'm from Maryland. If I were a cop, I'd be a little out of my jurisdiction, don't you think?† The question seemed to stump him. â€Å"My name's David Becker.† Becker smiled and offered his hand across the table. The punk recoiled in disgust. â€Å"Back off, fag boy.† Becker retracted the hand. The kid sneered. â€Å"I'll help you, but it'll cost you.† Becker played along. â€Å"How much?† â€Å"A hundred bucks.† Becker frowned. â€Å"I've only got pesetas.† â€Å"Whatever! Make it a hundred pesetas.† Foreign currency exchange was obviously not one of Two-Tone's fortes; a hundred pesetas was about eighty-seven cents. â€Å"Deal,† Becker said, rapping his bottle on the table. The kid smiled for the first time. â€Å"Deal.† â€Å"Okay,† Becker continued in his hushed tone. â€Å"I figure the girl I'm looking for might hang out here. She's got red, white, and blue hair.† Two-Tone snorted. â€Å"It's Judas Taboo's anniversary. Everybody's got-â€Å" â€Å"She's also wearing a British flag T-shirt and has a skull pendant in one ear.† A faint look of recognition crossed Two-Tone's face. Becker saw it and felt a surge of hope. But a moment later Two-Tone's expression turned stern. He slammed his bottle down and grabbed Becker's shirt. â€Å"She's Eduardo's, you asshole! I'd watch it! You touch her, and he'll kill you!† Chapter 56 Midge Milken prowled angrily into the conference room across from her office. In addition to the thirty-two foot mahogany table with the NSA seal inlaid in black cherry and walnut, the conference room contained three Marion Pike watercolors, a Boston fern, a marble wet bar, and of course, the requisite Sparklett's water cooler. Midge helped herself to a glass of water, hoping it might calm her nerves. As she sipped at the liquid, she gazed across at the window. The moonlight was filtering through the open venetian blind and playing on the grain of the table. She'd always thought this would make a nicer director's office than Fontaine's current location on the front of the building. Rather than looking out over the NSA parking lot, the conference room looked out over an impressive array of NSA outbuildings-including the Crypto dome, a high-tech island floating separate from the main building on three wooded acres. Purposefully situated behind the natural cover of a grove of maples, Crypto was difficult to see from most windows in the NSA complex, but the view from the directorial suite was perfect. To Midge the conference room seemed the perfect vantage point for a king to survey his domain. She had suggested once that Fontaine move his office, but the director had simply replied, â€Å"Not on the rear.† Fontaine was not a man to be found on the back end of anything. Midge pulled apart the blinds. She stared out at the hills. Sighing ruefully, she let her eyes fall toward the spot where Crypto stood. Midge had always felt comforted by the sight of the Crypto dome-a glowing beacon regardless of the hour. But tonight, as she gazed out, there was no comfort. Instead she found herself staring into a void. As she pressed her face to the glass, she was gripped by a wild, girlish panic. Below her there was nothing but blackness. Crypto had disappeared! Chapter 57 The Crypto bathrooms had no windows, and the darkness surrounding Susan Fletcher was absolute. She stood dead still for a moment trying to get her bearings, acutely aware of the growing sense of panic gripping her body. The horrible cry from the ventilation shaft seemed to hang all around her. Despite her effort to fight off a rising sense of dread, fear swept across her flesh and took control. In a flurry of involuntary motion, Susan found herself groping wildly across stall doors and sinks. Disoriented, she spun through the blackness with her hands out in front of her and tried to picture the room. She knocked over a garbage can and found herself against a tiled wall. Following the wall with her hand, she scrambled toward the exit and fumbled for the door handle. She pulled it open and stumbled out onto the Crypto floor. There she froze for a second time. The Crypto floor looked nothing like it had just moments ago. TRANSLTR was a gray silhouette against the faint twilight coming in through the dome. All of the overhead lighting was dead. Not even the electronic keypads on the doors were glowing. As Susan's eyes became accustomed to the dark, she saw that the only light in Crypto was coming through the open trapdoor-a faint red glow from the utility lighting below. She moved toward it. There was the faint smell of ozone in the air. When she made it to the trapdoor, she peered into the hole. The freon vents were still belching swirling mist through the redness, and from the higher-pitched drone of the generators, Susan knew Crypto was running on backup power. Through the mist she could make out Strathmore standing on the platform below. He was leaning over the railing and staring into the depths of TRANSLTR's rumbling shaft. â€Å"Commander!† There was no response. Susan eased onto the ladder. The hot air from below rushed in under her skirt. The rungs were slippery with condensation. She set herself down on the grated landing. â€Å"Commander?† Strathmore did not turn. He continued staring down with a blank look of shock, as if in a trance. Susan followed his gaze over the banister. For a moment she could see nothing except wisps of steam. Then suddenly she saw it. A figure. Six stories below. It appeared briefly in the billows of steam. There it was again. A tangled mass of twisted limbs. Lying ninety feet below them, Phil Chartrukian was sprawled across the sharp iron fins of the main generator. His body was darkened and burned. His fall had shorted out Crypto's main power supply. But the most chilling image of all was not of Chartrukian but of someone else, another body, halfway down the long staircase, crouched, hiding in the shadows. The muscular frame was unmistakable. It was Greg Hale. Chapter 58 The punk screamed at Becker, â€Å"Megan belongs to my friend Eduardo! You stay away from her!† â€Å"Where is she?† Becker's heart was racing out of control. â€Å"Fuck you!† â€Å"It's an emergency!† Becker snapped. He grabbed the kid's sleeve. â€Å"She's got a ring that belongs tome. I'll pay her for it! A lot!† Two-Tone stopped dead and burst into hysterics. â€Å"You mean that ugly, gold piece of shit is yours?† Becker's eyes widened. â€Å"You've seen it?† Two-Tone nodded coyly. â€Å"Where is it?† Becker demanded. â€Å"No clue.† Two-Tone chuckled. â€Å"Megan was up here trying to hock it.† â€Å"She was trying to sell it?† â€Å"Don't worry, man, she didn't have any luck. You've got shitty taste in jewelry.† â€Å"Are you sure nobody bought it?† â€Å"Are you shitting me? For four hundred bucks? I told her I'd give her fifty, but she wanted more. She was trying to buy a plane ticket-standby.† Becker felt the blood drain from his face. â€Å"Whereto?† â€Å"Fuckin' Connecticut,† Two-tone snapped. â€Å"Eddie's bummin'.† â€Å"Connecticut?† â€Å"Shit, yeah. Going back to Mommy and Daddy's mansion in the burbs. Hated her Spanish homestay family. Three Spic brothers always hitting on her. No fucking hot water.† Becker felt a knot rise in his throat. â€Å"When is she leaving?† Two-Tone looked up. â€Å"When?† He laughed. â€Å"She's long gone by now. Went to the airport hours ago. Best spot to hock the ring-rich tourists and shit. Once she got the cash, she was flying out.† A dull nausea swept through Becker's gut. This is some kind of sick joke, isn't it? He stood a long moment. â€Å"What's her last name?† Two-Tone pondered the question and shrugged. â€Å"What flight was she taking?† â€Å"She said something about the Roach Coach.† â€Å"Roach Coach?† â€Å"Yeah. Weekend red-eye-Seville, Madrid, La Guardia. That's what they call it. College kids take it 'cause it's cheap. Guess they sit in back and smoke roaches.† Great. Becker groaned, running a hand through his hair. â€Å"What time did it leave?† â€Å"Two a.m. sharp, every Saturday night. She's somewhere over the Atlantic by now.† Becker checked his watch. It read 1:45 p.m. He turned to Two-Tone, confused. â€Å"You said it's a two a.m. flight?† The punk nodded, laughing. â€Å"Looks like you're fucked, ol' man.† Becker pointed angrily to his watch. â€Å"But it's only quarter to two!† Two-Tone eyed the watch, apparently puzzled. â€Å"Well, I'll be damned.† he laughed. â€Å"I'm usually not this buzzed till four a.m.!† â€Å"What's the fastest way to the airport?† Becker snapped. â€Å"Taxi stand out front.† Becker grabbed a 1,000-peseta note from his pocket and stuff edit in Two-Tone's hand. â€Å"Hey, man, thanks!† the punk called after him. â€Å"If you see Megan, tell her I said hi!† But Becker was already gone. Two-Tone sighed and staggered back toward the dance floor. He was too drunk to notice the man in wire-rim glasses following him. Outside, Becker scanned the parking lot for a taxi. There was none. He ran over to a stocky bouncer. â€Å"Taxi!† The bouncer shook his head. â€Å"Demasiado temprano. Too early.† Too early? Becker swore. It's two o'clock in the morning! â€Å"Pidame uno! Call me one!† The man pulled out a walkie-talkie. He said a few words and then signed off. â€Å"Veinte minutos,† he offered. â€Å"Twenty minutes?!† Becker demanded. â€Å"Y elautobus?† The bouncer shrugged. â€Å"Forty-five minutos.† Becker threw up his hands. Perfect! The sound of a small engine turned Becker's head. It sounded like a chainsaw. A big kid and his chain-clad date pulled into the parking lot on an old Vespa 250 motorcycle. The girl's skirt had blown high on her thighs. She didn't seem to notice. Becker dashed over. I can't believe I'm doing this, he thought. I hate motorcycles. He yelled to the driver. â€Å"I'll pay you ten thousand pesetas to take me to the airport!† The kid ignored him and killed the engine. â€Å"Twenty thousand!† Becker blurted. â€Å"I need to get to the airport!† The kid looked up. â€Å"Scusi?† He was Italian. â€Å"Aeroporto! Per favore. Sulla Vespa! Venti mille pesete!† The Italian eyed his crummy, little bike and laughed. â€Å"Venti mille pesete? La Vespa?† â€Å"Cinquanta mille! Fifty thousand!† Becker offered. It was about four hundred dollars. The Italian laughed doubtfully. â€Å"Dov'e la plata? Where's the cash?† Becker pulled five 10,000-peseta notes from his pocket and held them out. The Italian looked at the money and then at his girlfriend. The girl grabbed the cash and stuffed it in her blouse. â€Å"Grazie!† the Italian beamed. He tossed Becker the keys to his Vespa. Then he grabbed his girlfriend's hand, and they ran off laughing into the building. â€Å"Aspetta!† Becker yelled. â€Å"Wait! I wanted a ride!†

Introduction to the Concept of Holistic Marketing Essay

The shortest definition of Marketing Management is â€Å"Meeting Needs Profitably†. Whose Needs ? – The needs of the people, or the customers or consumers, Who is trying to meet ? – The Producer, Marketer or the Company, What is the Objective ? – With profit to the company, & satisfaction to the customers. What Is Marketed Marketing people are involved in marketing the following 10 types of entities – Goods – Physical products, consumer products, consumer durables Services – Transport, repair & maintenance, legal, financial, consultancy, hotel, specialised skills Events – Trade shows, sports, world cups, vintage car rally, fashion shows, artistic performance Experiences – Theatres, opera, Disney-world, trekking, ocean cruise, cinema, music concerts Persons – Celebrity marketing, film stars, politicians, artists, performers, advertisers Places – Cities, states, countries for tourism, leisure & place for industrialisation & business Properties – Ownership of tangible properties like real estate, house, apartment, farm house, precious metals and intangible properties like financial portfolio of various securities Organisations – Building up identity, image, reputation, and value in the minds of consumers Information – It can be produced , packaged & marketed as a product – text books, encyclopaedias, magazines & journals on literature, science, technology, medicine info, available thru internet Ideas – The concept regarding a utility, business opportunity, advertising / marketing ideas, scientific & technical, social, financial, psychological etc. Marketing Concepts The Marketing concepts under which organisations have conducted marketing activities include : Exchange Concept – Exchange of goods and services between two agencies called buyer and seller, or exchange of goods and services for money or barter system. Production Concept – Widely available and inexpensive, high production efficiency Product Concept – Quality, performance, utility, innovative features etc. Selling Concept – Aggressive selling and promotion effort. â€Å"The purpose of marketing is to sell more stuff to more people more often for more money in order to make more profit†. Marketing Concept – â€Å"Products/Production† oriented concept ( make & sell ) has changed to â€Å"Consumer† oriented concept ( sense & respond ). Instead of â€Å"hunting† marketing is gardening†. The job is not to find the right customer for the products, but the right products for the customers. The perceptive contrast between the selling and marketing concepts – selling focuses on the needs of the seller, marketing on the needs of the buyer. Holistic Marketing Concept – Marketers in the current age are increasingly recognising the need to have a more complete & cohesive approach that goes beyond traditional application of marketing concepts. This concept is based on the development, design and implementation of marketing programs, processes and activities that recognise their breadth and inter-dependencies. Holistic Marketing recognises that â€Å"everything matters† with marketing – and that a broad integrated perspective is often necessary. The important components are : Integrated Marketing, Internal Marketing, Relationship Marketing, Social Responsibility Marketing. We shall discus each one of these in the following. Trends In Marketing Practices The marketplace is not the same as it used to be. It is rapidly changing as a result of major, sometimes interlinking societal forces that have created new behaviours, new opportunities & new challenges, such as : Globalisation, Deregulation, Privatisation, Technological Advances, The Internet Revolution, Customer Empowerment, Customisation, Market Fragmentation, Hightened Competition, Retail Transformation, etc. In response to this rapidly changing environments companies have restructured their business & marketing practices in some of the following ways : Reengineering : Appointing teams to manage customer-value-building processes & break down walls between departments. Outsourcing : Greater willingness to buy more goods & services from outside domestic or foreign vendors. Benchmarking : Studying â€Å"best practice companies† to improve performance. Supplier Partnering : Increased partnering with fewer but better value-adding suppliers. Customer Partnering : Working more closely with customers to add value to their operation. Merging : Acquiring or merging with firms in the same or complementary industries to gain economy of scale & scope. Globalising : Increased effort to â€Å"Think Global & Act Local†. Flattening : Reducing the number of organisational levels to get closer to the customers. Focusing : Determining the most profitable business & customers & focusing on them. Accelerating :Designing the organisation & setting up processes to respond more quickly to changes in the environment. Empowering : Encouraging & empowering personnel to produce more ideas & take more initiative. Accordingly the role of marketing organisation is also changing. Traditionally, the marketers have played the role of middlemen between the customers & the various functional areas of the organisation. In a networked enterprise, every functional area can interact directly with customers. Thus marketing needs to integrate all the customer-facing processes so that customers a single face (Integrated Marketing) & hear a single voice (Integrated Marketing Communications) when they interact with the company. Integrated Marketing One of the major tasks of marketers is to â€Å"integrate† all the marketing activities & programmes like â€Å"creating†, â€Å"communicating† & â€Å"delivering† value to the customers. The Famous Marketing Mix – the Four Ps, as devised by McCarthy constitute the traditional marketing activities in four broad groups as given below in details : Products – Design, Features, Brand Name, Models, Style, Appearance, Quality, Warranty, Package (design, type, material, size, appearance & labelling), Service ( pre-sale, after sale, service standards, service charges), Returns. Price – Pricing Policies, List Price, Margins, Discounts, Rebates, Terms of Delivery, Payment Terms, Credit Terms, Instalment Purchase Facility, Resale Price, Maintenance prices. Place – Channels of Distribution ( channel design, types of intermediaries, location of outlets, channel remuneration, dealer-principle relation, etc.), Physical Distribution (transportation, warehousing, inventory levels, order processing, etc.) Promotion – Personal Selling, Selling Expertise, Size of Sales Force, Quality of Sales Force, and Marketing Communications – Advertising (media-mix, media vehicles, and programmes), sales promotions, publicity & public relations, direct & interactive marketing). Now, these traditional concepts of Four Ps represent the sellers’ view of the marketing tools available to influence buyers. In holistic marketing one has to see also the buyers’ point of view, where each of these tools will deliver the customers’ benefit or value. Robert Lauterborn suggested the buyers’ Four Cs as follows : Product = Customer Solution, Price = Customer Cost, Place = Convenience, Promotion = Communication Thus the successful companies are those who can meet (1) customer needs (2) economically, (3) conveniently & (4) with effective communication. Two broad concepts of integrated marketing are as follows : Several different marketing activities are used to create, communicate & deliver customer value, All marketing activities coordinated to maximise their joint efforts. Or in other words, the design & implementation of one activity is done with all other activities in mind. The business of running a successful organisation is to integrate the system for management of demand, resources & network. Integrated marketing communication is a case in point. Internal Marketing Internal marketing ensures that everyone in the organisation adopts appropriate marketing principles and the top management should see it happen. This is the management task of hiring, training & motivating the employees to serve the customers well. Smart & successful companies understand that there is as much activity outside the company as inside. For it makes no sense to promise excellent services before the company’s service staff is ready to provide. Internal marketing must happen in two levels as follows : At the first level, all the marketing functions like, sales force, market research, customer service, product management, advertising, etc. must go together, i.e., all the personnel should work in tandem or unison for common goal. At the second level, â€Å"marketing† must be embraced by other departments for a common goal of the organisation. All the relevant functional departments like Finance, HR, Operations, Logistics, Systems, etc. must coordinate each other to have a marketing orientation. Only trying to meet individual department’s target & norms and not supporting the marketing objectives will take the company nowhere. One has to bear in mind that it’s marketing that earns revenue. Internal marketing requires that everyone in the organisation buy into the concepts & goals of marketing, and engage themselves in selecting, creating, communicating & delivering customer value. Only when all the employees realise that their jobs are to create, serve & satisfy the customers does the company become an effective marketer. Relationship Marketing The development of deep, enduring relationships with all the people or firms involved directly or indirectly in the firm’s marketing activities is appearing as a key goal; of marketing. This is the concept of Relationship marketing – it aims at building mutually satisfying long-term relationships with key parties like customers, financiers, suppliers, distributors & of course the stakeholders, in order to earn & retain their business. It also builds strong economic, technical & social binding amongst the parties. There are four key constituents of marketing are : Customers Employees Marketing Partners : Channels, Suppliers, Distributors, Dealers, Retailers, Agencies, etc. Financial Community : Shareholders, Stakeholders, Financiers, Investors, Analysts, etc. Another key constituent is the Society : well-wishers, scientists, professors, environmentalists. The ultimate goal of relationship marketing is the building of a unique company asset called a marketing network, which consists of the company & its supporting stakeholders as listed above with whom it has built manual profit relationships. Interestingly, today, the competition is not between companies as such, but between the carefully built marketing networks – whoever has a better network wins. So the principle is simple – build an effective network, & the profits will follow. But the practice is not so. The development & building of a strong relationship requires a deep understanding of the capabilities & resources of different groups as well as their needs, goals & desires. Relationship marketing involves the right kind of relationships with right constituent groups, like Customer Relationship Management (CRM) with customers, Partner Relationship Management (PRM) with other partners. Since these being separate subjects themselves, are beyond the scope of this article. Social Responsibility Marketing Holistic marketing incorporates social responsibility marketing. This involves broader concerns of the society at large, like social, legal, ethical & environmental in the context of marketing activities. Companies operate in a society, and so do their customers and hence they should never forget its contribution to the company. It requires that marketers carefully consider the role they are playing in terms of social welfare. Companies need to evaluate whether they are truly practicing ethical & socially responsible marketing. Several factors are driving the companies to practice higher level of corporate social responsibility, such as : Rising customer expectations, Changing employees expectations, Govt. Legislation & pressure, Investor interest in social criteria, Changing business procurement criteria. Business success and continually satisfying the customers & other stakeholders are closely linked to adoption & implementation of high standard of business & marketing conduct. The most admired companies in the world adhere to a code of serving people’s interests, not only there own. The following are the most important factors of socially responsible marketing : Legal Behaviour : Companies operate within the law of the land, and they must impart the employees with adequate knowledge of law & how to practice them. We have Govt. laws, Society laws, and the organisations must ensure the employees know & observe relevant law, and restrain themselves from practicing illegal, antisocial, corruptive, anticompetitive practices. Ethical Behaviour : Companies must evolve & adopt a properly written code of conduct based on the social & cultural ethics, decency, tradition & legal practices, and ensure that all concerned are responsible in observing these guidelines. Today customers are well aware of the social, cultural, ecological & environmental affairs in their day-to-day lives. Social Responsibility Behaviour : As said above, the customers also want to know what the firm’s contribution to the society is, or what the company’s social conscience is while dealing with customers & the stakeholders. Cause Related Marketing : Contribution to the society can be enormous, and hence companies choose a particular area of society for a particular cause. The examples are : Health awareness – Heart Diseases, AIDS, Cancer, Diabetic, Obesity, Old age, etc. Running children’s home, old age home, rehabilitation centre, women’s home, etc. Infrastructure – rural housing, hospitals, preserving archaeological places, maintaining roads & parks, homes for endangered species; Educational scholarship for the poor & needy, higher education facility, Institutes; Treatment for destitute, food for the starving; Information legal & technical help during the hour of need; Volunteerism & Philanthropy. The list can be endless. Reputed companies even have their own charitable trusts, and also have special cause related marketing plans. Cause-related marketing is the concept where the specific cause is directly or indirectly linked to the particular revenue transaction. The company has at least one non-economic social objective and uses the revenue generated from the designated sales. This concept is also known as Corporate Societal Marketing (CSM). The CSM can include other activities like traditional & strategic philanthropy & volunteerism. Social Marketing : Some marketing is conducted to directly address a social problem or cause. Social marketing is done mainly by NGOs, Non-Profit or Govt. organisations to further a cause, such as â€Å"No smoking†, â€Å"Say NO to Drugs†, etc. The Holistic Marketing Matrix Integrated Marketing – Products & Services, Communications, Channels Internal Marketing – Top Management, Marketing Department, Other Department Relatioship Marketing – Customers, Partners, Channels Social Responsibitity Marketing – Community, Legal, Ethics, Environment The Future of Marketing   The top management is slowly recognising that the marketing in the older method is getting wasteful and is demanding more accountability. There are a number of imperatives (must do) to achieve marketing excellence, as presented below : Marketers must – be â€Å"Holistic† and not in bits & parts, i.e., not sectional or departmental. achieve larger influence in the company if they are to be the main architect of business strategies. continuously create new ideas if the company is to prosper in a hyper-competitive economy. strive for customer insight & treat customers differently, but appropriately. build their brands thru performance, more than thru promotion. go electronic & win thru building superior information & communication systems. In these ways, modern marketing will continue to evolve & confront new challenges & opportunities. As a result, the coming years will see the demise of – – – & the rise of : The Demise of The Rise of The marketing department Holistic marketing Free-spending marketing ROI (return on investment) marketing Marketing intuition Marketing science Manual marketing Automated marketing Mass marketing Precision marketing To become truly holistic in marketing & achieve these changes, what the marketers need are a new set of skills, competencies in the following areas of expertise. Customer Relationship management Partner Relationship management Database Marketing & Data-mining Contact Centre Marketing & Telemarketing Public Relation Marketing including Event & Sponsorship Marketing Brand-building & Brand-asset Management Integrated Marketing Communications Profitability Analysis by Segment, Customer, Channel Experiential Marketing Conclusion The Nineteenth century American author Ralph Waldo Emerson had said, â€Å"This time like all times is a good one, if we but know what to do with it†. Thus, the exciting time for marketing has arrived now. And also, in the relentless pursuit of marketing superiority & dominance, new concepts, rules, tools & practices are ever emerging. There are a number of benefits of successful twenty-first-century marketing. All we need are hard work, insight, right application of mind & tools, inspiration, perseverance & of course a willingness to achieve greater heights.

The Problem Of Social Media - 880 Words

In the wake of the recent attacks in Paris and increasing manmade and natural disasters around the world, the ability to communicate with citizens during times of crisis is more important than ever. It is no longer appropriate to limit the output of emergency information to the traditional delivery methods. Social media use continues to grow at a staggering pace. As of January 2014, 74% of online adults use social networking sites (Pew Research Center, n.d.). The large percentage adults who utilize social networks daily makes their use by government agencies essential. It is no longer acceptable for Dane County Emergency Management not have a social media presence. With our current messaging system and strategies, we are being unheard by a large portion of our county’s population. This is particularly true with young adults who reside in our county, as their primary source of information is through social media. By continuing our trend of no social media use, our county is putting lives at risk in times of emergencies, when rapid, accurate information dispersal is of the utmost importance. The strengths of social media use are well documented. No longer can officials within the county label its rise in usage as a trend. One of the most powerful attributes of social media is its ability to be accessed with a mobile device. In regards to emergency management, this is very beneficial, as most citizens will likely not be monitoring a T.V. or radio station when aShow MoreRelatedThe Problem Of Social Media928 Words   |  4 Pageskeep us connected to a never ending supply of distant connection. Social media is the source of many problems in our society. One of the problems is the lack of communication in a relationship. 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