Would you categorize the way the Jones family lives as personal selling? Why or why not?
In some ways, I would categorize the way the Jones family lives as personal selling because their technique involves many of the techniques of personal selling explained in our reading. Acting as a family with a trendy lifestyle and full of charismatic personalities enabled the Jones’ to have conversations with potential consumers across gender, age, and interest groups. Their entire public life and personalities were comprised of demonstrations of the products and the conversations and parties they hosted allowed them to utilize the technique of addressing objections.
Additionally, I noticed an example of reference selling when Steve connects with a young salesman at the country club. By booking a lesson with this young man, Steve was able to forge a connection with the salesman and use his skillset to boost the man’s confidence regarding the recommendations he made Steve, thereby creating a satisfied customer of sorts. In turn, we see the salesman use his experiences from the lessons he has with Steve as a sales tactic when engaging other country club members. Because everyone is trying to keep up with the most trendy + exclusive items, many of the men in the film become influenced to keep purchasing various items. In my opinion, Steve essentially created a loop of reference selling and this tactic made his sales stats increase explosively.
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.
Ever since the pandemic became widespread in early 2020, many younger consumers have started to reject the idea of celebrity and instead resonate with content from people who either are or appear to be your average person. I think that brands have started to pay attention to this more and more as evidenced by the large amount of user-generated content that brands will pay for or ask to repost from their customers. Affiliate marketing has also become huge. The common thread is that I’m seeing many brands work with influencers and people who already use their products, or who could easily appear as if they do.
I think that these practices are similar to what The Jones Family did. However, the Jones’ lives were entirely fabricated, I see fewer and fewer examples of influencers and content creators pretending to use/like a product as a sales tactic. It’s definitely a practice that occurs, but I think I’ve finally managed to train apps to not suggest that kind of content to me.
Some brands that I’ve seen use this tactic are Eat Loisa and Nama. I find that brands in the cosmetics industry more closely mimic the Jones Family’s tactic. Brands like Benefit, Tarte, Anastasia Beverly Hills, and Victoria’s secret will often host brand trips that have very little to do with the products that they sell (makeup, undergarments, lingerie), and way more to selling you on a lifestyle.
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?
While all sales tactics rely on convincing the potential consumer to make a purchase, I think the techniques of the Jones Family could be categorized as extremely unethical. The deep manipulation (and age-inappropriate relationships) they needed to engage in so as to make their sales goals led to people ruining and ending their lives. No sale is worth that in my opinion.
How would you feel if you were friends with someone in the Jones family before you found out their secret? What about afterward?
I think it would be difficult for me to be friends with someone in the Jones family before I found out their secret. Though all of them were extremely charming in their own ways, I don’t enjoy being in environments where there is a push to overconsume all of the time. I think if we were friends and I found out their secret I would feel deeply betrayed due to realizing the entire relationship was based upon manipulation.
