MASS MARKETING

Mass-marketing is the process of widely marketing a product to the masses, using the mass media. The product may or may not be mass-produced, although that is usually most practical if the marketing campaign happens to be successful.

Products sold

Mass marketing is used to sell a product to a large variety of customers in large amounts. Mass marketing is the opposite of niche marketing, where a product is made specially for one person or a group of persons. An example of mass marketing would be toothpaste. Toothpaste isn't made specially for one consumer and it is sold in huge quantities. For more detail on toothpaste mass marketing, read "The Toothpaste Millionaire".

Other products of mass marketing are furniture, artwork, automobiles, residential communities, and personal computers. Typically, things deemed necessary/essential are subject to mass marketing. Such inventions, whose propagation has been aided by mass marketing, have transformed society (ex. dawning of digital age with PC.) A loose evaluation may suggest that, in America, mass marketing had a strong beginning after the end of World War II when capitalist endeavors were allowed to resume in the absence of a war-geared, state-run economy.

An obvious factor contributing to the effectiveness of mass marketing is its use of advanced technology, such as radio, television, internet, mass mailings, etc..

Unusual "products" sold

Even "products" like politicians and services from professions such as law, chiropractic and medicine, are subject to mass marketing.

An early user of radio for mass marketing was B. J. Palmer, the developer of chiropractic. To market chiropractic (Palmer wanted to compete with medicine) and to draw students to his school, he bought the radio station WOC (Wonders of Chiropractic) in Davenport, Iowa. It was one of the first radio stations to reach from coast to coast, [1], was the second largest commercial radio station licensed in the USA, and the first west of the Mississippi. [2]

An example of the power of mass marketing is that Palmer in 1932 gave Ronald Reagan, who would become President of the United States, his first job in broadcasting as a sports announcer. Reagan was neither articulate nor polished, but came to the attention of millions of midwest listeners and his weakness became a hallmark strength.

Nowadays, the medical profession, hospitals and even cancer centers, have adopted Dr. Palmer's lead as they, too, are noted for their use of the mass media to market their professional services.

Questions of quality

To further increase profits, mass marketed products touted as "durable goods" are often made of substandard material, so that they deteriorate prematurely. This practice is called planned obsolescence. Not only does this lower production costs, but it ensures future sales opportunities by preventing the market from becoming saturated with high-quality, long-lasting goods. A certain amount of monopoly power is necessary to successfully engage in the practice of engineered obsolescence, for otherwise the forces of a free market would tend to preclude the sale of such substandard goods, if they cannot successfully be marketed as staples.

Many mass marketed items are considered staples. These are items people are accustomed to buying new when their old ones wear out (or are used up). Cheaper versions of durable goods are often marketed as staples with the understanding that they will wear out sooner than more expensive goods, but they are so cheap that the cost of regular replacement is easily affordable.

John Watson was a leading psychologist in mass marketing with his experiments in advertising.