The Joneses is a film about a family who move into a new neighborhood and quickly become the envy of those around them. However, it is revealed that the family is actually a group of undercover marketers hired to sell products to the people in the neighborhood through subtle and covert means.

-Would you categorize the way the Jones family lives as personal selling? Why or why not?

The way the Jones family lives could be considered a form of personal selling, as they are interacting directly with people in the neighborhood and using their personal relationships and charisma to sell products. However, it could also be considered deceptive and unethical, as they are not disclosing their true identities and motivations to the people they are interacting with.

-What similarities do you see between the sales tactics the Jones family employs and the marketing tactics of some of your favorite brands? Give an example.

One similarity between the Jones family’s sales tactics and those of some brands is the use of social influence and peer pressure. In the film, the Jones family tries to convince their neighbors to buy products by showing them how popular and fashionable they are among their peers. Similarly, some brands use social media and other forms of advertising to create a sense of FOMO (fear of missing out) and create the impression that a product is highly desired or coveted by a particular group of people.

-Based on what you read in the course materials and what you observed in this movie, do you think the way products are marketed in this movie is ethical?

The marketing tactics used by the Jones family in the film could be considered unethical, as they involve deception and manipulation of people’s emotions and desires. In general, it is important for marketers to be transparent and honest in their advertising and to avoid using deceptive or manipulative tactics to sell products.

-How would you feel if you were friends with someone in the Jones family before you found out their secret? What about afterward?

If I were friends with someone in the Jones family before finding out their secret, I might feel betrayed or misled upon discovering the truth. I may also feel uncomfortable or suspicious about the motivations behind their actions and the things they said or did while we were friends. After finding out their secret, I might feel differently about the relationship and may choose to distance myself from the person or confront them about their actions.

I would classify the Jones family’s lifestyle as personal selling, even though they are actors hired by a marketing company to use their “idol star” status to promote and use products, and it’s their job to stimulate town people to go crazy Consumption, especially when Steve shows his neighbors gold jewelry, although it is fake, but in the eyes of others, it will increase the desire to buy, and people will compare their hearts.

There is a website called Xiaohongshu. This kind of post is to take photos and list which high-end skin care products, cosmetics, clothes, and various luxury goods I bought this month. Then while crying about being poor, he said that he was spending too much money, and at the same time explained to the audience how good the things he bought were worth buying. Below the post, there will be a lot of replies from people, saying “I have been planted” and want to buy it, and then a group of people will come out to buy the corresponding product and apply for the post.

The product marketing method in the movie “Jones” is immoral, because they only sell for sales performance, without considering the quality of the product, for example, Mr. Jones, who was a professional golfer, played a beautiful shot “Bird Ball”, but attributed the credit to how high-tech his new club is. “Hidden” marketing turns life into a show, turns reality into virtuality, and uses different methods to set up a trap for consumers.

If I became friends with them first, and then found out their secrets, I would be very disappointed and sad, because once the trust is gone, I can never go back, After all, when I first met them, I was very envious of their lives. I don’t know how other people get rich, but the truth is to get it in a proper way. You have to work hard to make money, and you can’t lie to people for a lifetime.

1. Would you categorize the way the Jones family lives as personal selling? Why or why not?

I would categorize the way the Jones family lives as personal selling because they were using the product and demonstrating how or when to use the product. For example, they use their own plates for dinner or parties to serve the guests which makes the guests/potential customers see the quality of the plates.

2. What similarities do you see between the sales tactics the Jones family employs and the marketing tactics of some of your favorite brands? Give an example.

The similarities I see between the sales tactics the Jones family employs and the brand that I liked use the same way of marketing tactics. Sellers influence a buyer to buy the product by sending their products to influencers/celebrities for free just to promote and sell their brand which can be somehow manipulative. For example, CeraVe is a skincare brand that is constantly promoted by celebrities and influencers resulting in an increase in the sale of their products.

3. Based on what you read in the course materials and what you observed in this movie, do you think the way products are marketed in this movie is ethical?

The way products are marketed in the movie “The Joneses” is unethical because they are selling just for the sake of it, there is no evidence that the product is good, and it’s based on mind games where sellers use manipulation to convince that their product is worth buying. For example, the daughter Jenn was promoting diet pills to girls in high school which can compare to the real world where the same kind of diet pills or beautifying products are promoted/sold to customers by claiming good results without any evidence.

4. How would you feel if you were friends with someone in the Jones family before you found out about their secret? What about afterward?

If I were friends with someone in the Jones family before I found out about their secret, I would wonder what they do for a living to afford this kind of lifestyle. Afterward, I wouldn’t be able to trust them, I wouldn’t consider them a friend because I would feel betrayed. It’s like deceiving someone just to sell the product and they are friends with me just to benefit from the relationship.

While watching the film “The Joneses” for this weeks homework, It was interesting to reflect on what tactics the family used for their personal gain as well as what they considered professional. When it comes to personal selling, I would say the Joneses we’re capable of doing so, but in a manipulative way. Since they are involved in sleuth marketing, part of their jobs have been to go undercover and sneakily find a way to push product without making it seem intentional. The family dilutes themselves into the community effectively, to display and recommend products.
Similar connections I can make between the Joneses sale tactics and other big name brands in the real world would be product placement and in a way “Influencing”. In todays world, It’s common to see ads of certain brands being used in social media and tv shows. For example, Kate pushing beauty products. It’s like when we watch a tv show and see a certain product very blatantly being shown. It targets its consumer audience through what they are attracted by. The same can go for influencers, Which have left a big impression on social media. The way Kate wears certain clothing that is sought after by other women has the same affect as an influencer with a large following being shown in clothing that others will want to buy.
Truthfully when it comes to being ethical, I would not say the Joneses are particularly the most ethical, but their methods are “ethical” to them. They saw a positive benefit form the way they approached their business, but its not ethical in the sense that it was very truthful. What they were doing involved a lot of lying to get to a place where they wanted to be pushing the products they wanted. If I were friends with the Joneses family, I would of preferred to know their secrets sooner than later because of their somewhat smart way of thinking, but also they were very dishonest. As a friend I would not find them to appealing to later learn that a lot of what they were doing was in secret. It’s betrayal but business to them.

The Joneses

I would not include the lifestyle of the Joneses family in my sales because their sales are based on lies, especially the moment when Steve showed gold jewelry to a neighbor and showed how much he loves his “wife”. I don’t think this is an ethical way to sell jewelry because there is a lie behind this deal.
The similarity between the sales of the Joneses family and other brands is only that they correctly identified the direction of the goods and consumers who would be interested, for example, Kate demonstrated hair care products in a beauty salon, Mick demonstrated video games and other goods at school, this logical because teenagers and schoolchildren love video games. This family put on a professional marketing ploy using a self-hosted show where they portrayed an exemplary, wealthy family. Having established a customer base in residential area, Kate and Steve began to study what the people around them wanted, and starting from this, to demonstrate products, Kate went out for a walk-in beautiful sportswear, where women later bought the same clothes.

I believe that the method of sales was not ethical, because, as I wrote above, the goods were sold fraudulently and moreover, even led to the death of a neighbor, because the neighbor wanted exactly the kind of life that the Jonos had. I would feel uncomfortable with this family, probably because I’m not the kind of person who wears the most expensive clothing brands, lives in a luxurious house and drives expensive cars. But if that were to happen, I would be insanely interested in what kind of business this family has to allow them to live a luxurious life. I think this question should have been asked by the neighbors in the first place.

After I found out their secret, I think I would be very disappointed because I do not like deceitful people, and especially those who are trying to profit on a lie, as the Jonos family did.

All submissions for our Week H Assignment on The Joneses will populate below.