- I think we can categorize the Jones family as personal selling. In the film, the family act as discreet salespeople, promoting products during their daily lives and their meetings with neighbors. They offer many luxury products which attract many “customers”. They do not present themselves as salespeople to customers, which corresponds to normal personal sales. The Jones family sells their products more subtly, which can be categorized as personal selling.
- The marketing tactic used by the Jones family is very similar to the marketing tactic used by influencers on social media. Influencers will promote products which most of the time are either of poor quality or are not authentic. But the fact that they have thousands or even millions of followers means that many people have complete confidence in them. We can also see that this tactic is not ethical, for example in France where the government has recently imposed numerous rules regarding the promotion of products by influencers on social media.
- I think the way the products are marketed in the film are unethical. The main reason is because they manipulate their buyers by creating a personal relationship of trust which impacts the buyer’s ability to make their own decision. Buyers are unable to prove the authenticity of the products, but the trust they have in the Jones family erases any possible doubt.
- At first glance, the Jones family seems friendly, and it would be very difficult to notice their game. They attract trust and I will probably not suspect that our friendship is in reality fake and that it was used as a marketing tactic. After discovering the secret, I would probably question all my other friendships and I would probably feel sorry for myself for being so stupid and naive. I will ask myself how I managed to give my complete trust to someone who has just entered my life and who’s past I don’t really know.
