Marketing in Everyday Life

Over spring break I took time to notice the various forms of marketing that I encounter on an everyday basis. It’s surprising to see how often marketing effects me everyday. I was looking for more than just commercials and billboards, because at this point I think I’m relatively aware of that. This exercise was a good reminder of the important role that marketing plays in all of our lives.

One day over spring break a song came on the radio, and my friends and I all remembered the commercial that the song had played in. We talked about the commercial for a while once we had remembered it, and I realized that this must happen to a lot of people when they hear that song. That’s advertising that the company is not even paying for. Another day over break my friends and I were walking and we saw a man wearing a red shirt and yellow pants, and my friend said “that makes me think of McDonalds,” and we then proceeded to have a short conversation about McDonalds. On another occasion, my sister and I went into a Dunkin Donuts, and she commented on the remodeling of the Dunking Donuts, and how she had liked it. She then proceeded to compare it to Starbucks, saying that she still liked the atmosphere of Starbucks better, and didn’t care that the coffee was a little more expensive there.

One night, one of my friends was using my Essie nail polish and said that the reason she liked that particular brand was because the bottle was square shaped, and that it seemed cooler than the other kinds of nail polish. The company Essie has been very successful with branding and differentiation, and there success can be summed up with what my friend had said about their bottle- they are different, and it does make them seem cooler. Their nail polish does stand out.

One night over break I went out for desert at a place called “Plum Dandy, Cookies and Milk." They sell exactly what their name says they do, cookies and milk.  As my friend Lindsey and I sat there eating cookies, she began a conversation about whether or not the store will be a successful business, and whether or not they have marketed themselves successfully. She said that she thought it was a cool “niche” market, and that in a city like Saratoga Springs they might do well. Plus, Plum Dandy already has a successful frozen yogurt shop to advertise it’s new cookie shop in.

The city of Saratoga Springs is looking to build a 10-mile loop bike path around the entire city called the Greenbelt Trail. I was interested in getting involved with the project, so I went to the informational meeting last week. I spoke with the people working on the project and one of the first things they said they needed help with was marketing the new idea.

It’s clear that marketing is everywhere. In just one week I’ve encountered so many perfect examples of marketing. I couldn't believe how many times the conversations I had with my friends centered around topics that could have been in my marketing text book.