First of all, I really enjoyed this move, and I’m glad that Prof. B. assigned it. It made me understand even more what I have learned during this short semester. I would categorize the family’s way of life as personal selling. They applied selling techniques such as sales presentation in-person, conversations – the family built a relationship with customers in order to influence them to purchase the products, and demonstration – they presented their products’ work and its benefits. By employing these tools in order to increase sales, the family used similar sales tactics as luxurious car dealerships marketing tactics are employed. Most of the time car dealers are influencing people to finalize their purchase by transmitting that the key for happiness are their products. Same as The Joneses did. However, this might be unethical. I think that the way car dealers, but mostly how The Joneses marketed their products are unethical. The family intentionally influenced the neighbors to their own advantage to buy their products. Of course, this manipulation of influence was planned and finalized without the buyer’s knowledge. So, that’s why I think that the way of how the products were sold is not ethical. If I was one of their friends, most likely I’d buy their products as well. They knew what the neighbors needed, and they knew very well how to attract people. The only thing that I’d do differently, and I’m doing differently in my everyday life, is that I buy products that I really need, and not because I want to be like others. As a result, at the point of discovering the truth I would not have any disappointing feelings because I would feel like I haven’t wasted money just to be equal to them.
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