- Even though the Joneses family is not directly selling a service or product face to face, I could still consider this personal selling. The reason why I believe this can be regarded as personal selling is the fact that they were actively engaging in conversation and building relationships with their neighbors, all while using their perceived lifestyle to sell products indirectly. The way they created an illusion of an ideal or “perfect” life to sell products is a form of stealth marketing that can very well be considered personal selling.
- Creating an illusion of a wonderful and perfect lifestyle to discretely market products/services is something I see on social media all the time. My favorite brands don’t really partake in the types of marketing the Joneses have, but it is something I see become very successful, especially on platforms like Tik Tok or Instagram. For example, I see an abundance of day traders or drop shippers flaunting a lifestyle that may very well be fake (big houses, new cars, nice watches/clothes, etc), in order to sell their personal courses that usually consist of very basic information. Even though the majority of the time these influencers rent items to make it seem like it’s theirs, many people do fall for their marketing strategies and purchase these courses in hopes of learning how to make money like them.
- No, the Joneses family did not partake in ethical business/marketing practices. Even though everything was legal (besides selling alcohol to minors) and technically allowed, Joneses essentially put on an act in order to have their lifestyles perceived in a manner that would help sell products. This is far from authentic, and it was obviously unclear if the Joneses genuinely recommended the products, or if they just wanted the easy money. These highly manipulative practices would not fly in an ethical marketing business.
- I don’t think I’d be friends with anyone in the Joneses Family, but if I were I’d be a tad bit jealous of their perceived lifestyle and “perfect” family prior to finding out the truth. Upon uncovering the truth, I would definitely feel betrayed and a little sick. The reason is that they went too far, creating an illusion just to sell products is extremely immoral and shows their true colors.
The Joneses
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