Kyle Skidmore

Marketing 203
Dr. Boonghee Yoo
February 10, 2020
CH 6 Textbook Application
Marketing Debate

Is Target Marketing Ever Bad?

As marketers increasingly tailor marketing programs to target market segments, some critics have denounced
these efforts as exploitive. They see the preponderance of billboards advertising cigarettes and alcohol in low-
income urban areas as taking advantage of a vulnerable market segment. Critics can be especially harsh in
evaluating marketing programs that target African Americans and other minority groups, claiming they often
employ stereotypes and inappropriate depictions. Others counter that targeting and positioning is critical to
marketing and that these marketing programs are an attempt to be relevant to a certain consumer group.

Take a position: Targeting minorities is exploitive versus Targeting minorities is a sound business practice.

In today’s world, I think that there will always be someone that feels offended by
anything that is put out into the world whether that is a billboard, commercial, advertisement,
or new products. Most things typically come with a group of supporters and a group of people
that are against it. In this debate, I take the side of the sound business practice. Different parts
of the world are home to different people with different needs and different way of life. I not
only think it is a sound business practice to target these area-specific advertisements but I think
it is a smart business decision to do so. There is no need for a Rolls-Royce billboard in a low-
income, poverty stricken area, or in an area of high public transportation. Therefore, it is
smarter, business-wise and financially thinking to place an advertisement in that area that
targets the people who live there. I agree that ‘targeting’ and ‘positioning’ is critical in order to
market products successfully by placing certain advertisements in places where they are
relevant. Marketing in relevant areas is how money is made and as a business man I have to
take the side of making money. There is always going to be people who feel offended which is a
shame however, as long as businesses take an ethical approach to marketing, which can be
another issue, I say targeting is a sound business practice. Marketers have to attract customers
that not only want, but can afford their products and positioning is critical to that aspect of a
business.