In the film, ‘The Joneses’, the way the Jones’ family lives can be seen as a form of personal selling, but in a unique way where they add their spin. Instead of using traditional sales methods, where a salesperson directly interacts with potential customers, the Joneses are essentially living advertisements. They promote products through their lifestyle and interactions with neighbors, creating a personal connection that goes beyond typical advertising and creates a stronger bond and ties to the products themselves.
Their sales tactics share similarities with influencers and their marketing. Many brands use influencers to promote their products by integrating them into their daily lives, creating a more personal and relatable connection with the audience. Streamers like Kai Cenat, Pokimane, Logan Paul, KSI, etc, all do this. Influencers often flaunt a desirable lifestyle that includes the use of certain products and use product placement wherever they see fit. We see the success in these influencers’ personal brands such as Mr. Beast and his many chains (Feastables, Beast Burger, Beast Philanthropy) and KSI and Logan paul with PRIME
The ethical implications of the marketing tactics in the movie are subjective and can be interpreted in different ways. On one hand, the Joneses are not transparent about their true intentions. This lack of transparency raises ethical concerns as it manipulates people’s perceptions and decisions, but game is game. The Joneses aren’t forcing anyone to make specific purchases.
If I were friends with the Jones I wouldn’t really care or feel deceived. They could never catch me lacking cause I’m cheap. I may see the Joneses as victims of a larger system and empathize with the challenges they face in maintaining authenticity in a world driven by consumerism but other than that I wouldn’t care. It’s their life, not mine.
