Blog 4: Marketing Vs. Marketing Research

For the following blog post, I will again be looking at the AMA’s website and analyzing a certain part of it. For this section, I will be touching on the AMA’s definitions of both Marketing and Marketing research. Although the two are seemingly similar, they do have their distinct differences which put one apart from the other. First, what I figured I would do, was to show you, the reader, the AMA’s definition of Marketing. The definition can be found below:

Marketing, as it may seem, is a relatively broad word; it encompasses a multitude of methods, terms, values, and practices, so it is pretty hard to construct a clear definition. The AMA does a proper job in defining Marketing by taking key aspects of the term and putting it in a clear, understandable definition. To simplify this definition even further, the AMA is essentially saying that Marketing is a series of practices that all lead to the exchanging of a product from company to consumer. This is an important term for the AMA and any marketer in general. Now that you have gotten a grasp on the definition of Marketing, I can now show you the definition of Marketing Research and we can begin to draw contrasts between the two.

The definition of Marketing Research can be found below:

As you can see, this definition is a bit lengthier than Marketing, as it is more definable and there is less to it than Marketing. What Marketing Research is, essentially, is it is all of the information which a company extracts from consumers through a variety of tests and surveys, along with a plethora of other methods. The research then allows companies to get a better feel of their customers and the demographics of their consumers, allowing them to target specific areas of people with much more ease than if they did not have the information.

What is the difference between the two? Are they related?

They absolutely are related; marketing research is an essential part to marketing. The reason for this being described earlier- companies and marketers are easily able to access certain demographics because they have all of this information which comes from Marketing Research. The research is what comes before the marketing process begins. Researchers take the information which they generate about their products from these surveys and other tests and then they begin to come up with methods in which they could reach their consumers.

Marketing, the term, used to come before marketing research, but once marketing research was tangible and became something of use, it came before any sort of marketing.

Even though I say that Marketing Research comes before Marketing, Marketing Research is actually a part of marketing-it is an element of the marketing process. It is just a method in which companies can begin to do research for a product which they are looking to advertise.

Blog 3: Statement of Ethics Review

For this blog post, I will be analyzing the Statement of Ethics in the “About” section of the AMA website. Upon entering the website, it is relatively clear to spot the “About” section right away, and the Statement of Ethics is directly underneath that; it is the first thing that you see when you click on the “About” tab. As I came across this, I was surprised that the Statement of Ethics was one of the first things that you come across when going into the “About” tab. It shows that the AMA is committed to their Statement of Ethics and that they feel this statement encompasses exactly who they are. The entirety of the statement is broken into four parts-the ‘preamble,’ ‘ethical norms,’ ‘ethical values,’ and ‘implementation.’

                First, the preamble, delves into an immediate bold statement, claiming that they provide the highest standard of ethical norms at the professional level. What the intention of this statement is, is that it is meant to grasp the reader and sort of get their attention towards the legitimacy of the AMA and what they are about. As the section moves forward, the preamble then leads into how members of the AMA should act and, from there, begins to introduce the ethical norms and values which marketers should practice/follow.

                The second section, the ‘Ethical Norms,’ gives a list of three things which marketers must do as they are the ethical norms of the AMA. The first of the three claims that as marketers it is important that we do not go against any laws or regulations when making choices in the marketing world. The second on the list is to have trust in the marketing system and also to avoid forms of deception when marketing a product to consumers. Finally, the third, essentially makes the claim that marketers need to follow ethical values when they are dealing with consumers.

                As for the third section, titled ‘Ethical Values,’ it is broken up into multiple subsections, and each subsection is titled with a different ethical value of the AMA. The list runs like this: Honesty, Responsibility, Fairness, Respect, Transparency, and Citizenship. These subsections all go more in depth, and the AMA takes its time to thoroughly describe the importance of each value and how to go about practicing each value. As a whole, one can get a great feel on what the AMA is about and what their goals as marketers truly are. This section is a key part in how one could develop a feeling as to what the AMA is about.

                The last section, ‘implementation,’ is a short paragraph which ultimately explains how a member of the AMA should go about applying these norms and values to their every-day marketing life. It then goes on to summarize the goals of the AMA and gives a location as to where someone who is looking for a “code of conduct” kind of thing which marketers should follow would be at.

As a whole, this Statement of Ethics is a powerful one which really portrays what a marketer should get out of becoming a member of the AMA.