It has been a while since my last blog, but thoughts on the above subject have inspired me once more, and so I share my latest thoughts on this issue.
I am totally in love love love with this marketoonist blog, which I've been following for a few weeks now.
This post on 'planned obsolescence' is particularly poignant IMO. From a marketing perspective, planned obsolescence is of course a successful sales & marketing strategy, and hence one that is commonly in practise in the modern age. However, it raises the issue of ethics which we often lose sight of. By ethics, I mean both in the sense of an ethical sales & marketing strategy, as well as the social and economic effects of encouragement of constant renewal and heightened consumerism.
To be clear, I am not claiming purity of actions on this matter, I am a total sucker for the latest online & mobile technologies and a massive tech junkie in these areas. However, I for one would certainly feel a lot more content from an ethical perspective if the drive for adoption of evolving and emerging technological innovations did not feel like in the back of my mind I am doing a deal with the devil - aiding overconsumption, questionable production practices and labour force exploitation, particularly in the developing and third world.
In theory, we as consumers have the power of changing these practices, by voting with our wallets and demonstrating our consumer preferences by consuming ethically. But too often we are distracted by the new, the evolving, by the desire to keep up with technology, or be early adopters, to put it in marketing terms. So what is the answer - how to balance conflicting viewpoints that exist among many of us - I don't know....but this post certainly provoked that line of thinking in me, and if it does the same in others, maybe that's a good start at the very least.
Open to others thoughts on the matter, if anyone wants to share their opinions.
I am totally in love love love with this marketoonist blog, which I've been following for a few weeks now.
This post on 'planned obsolescence' is particularly poignant IMO. From a marketing perspective, planned obsolescence is of course a successful sales & marketing strategy, and hence one that is commonly in practise in the modern age. However, it raises the issue of ethics which we often lose sight of. By ethics, I mean both in the sense of an ethical sales & marketing strategy, as well as the social and economic effects of encouragement of constant renewal and heightened consumerism.
To be clear, I am not claiming purity of actions on this matter, I am a total sucker for the latest online & mobile technologies and a massive tech junkie in these areas. However, I for one would certainly feel a lot more content from an ethical perspective if the drive for adoption of evolving and emerging technological innovations did not feel like in the back of my mind I am doing a deal with the devil - aiding overconsumption, questionable production practices and labour force exploitation, particularly in the developing and third world.
In theory, we as consumers have the power of changing these practices, by voting with our wallets and demonstrating our consumer preferences by consuming ethically. But too often we are distracted by the new, the evolving, by the desire to keep up with technology, or be early adopters, to put it in marketing terms. So what is the answer - how to balance conflicting viewpoints that exist among many of us - I don't know....but this post certainly provoked that line of thinking in me, and if it does the same in others, maybe that's a good start at the very least.
Open to others thoughts on the matter, if anyone wants to share their opinions.
There is a fine balance between conscious consumerism, and plain consumerism. It's a struggle to find the equilibrium, but I think that by being an informed culture, we are able to make positive purchase-choices. Thanks for introducing me to marketoonist, some very insightful and humorous stuff on there :)
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