Smoking and Obesity

Question 1:

From: Chapter 1: Marketing: Creating and Capturing Customer Value
Name of the textbook: Principles of Marketing (14th Edition)
PHILIP Kotler "Northwestern University" & GARY Armstrong "University of North Carolina"
Question title: Focus on ethics "page 33"

Sixty years ago, about 45 percent of Americans smoked cigarettes, but now the smoking rate is less than 20 percent. This decline results from acquired knowledge on the potential health dangers of smoking and marketing restrictions for this product. Although smoking rates are declining in most developed nations, however, more and more consumers in developing nations, such as Russia and China, are puffing away. Smoker rates in some countries run as high as 40 percent. Developing nations account for more than 70 percent of world tobacco consumption, and marketers are fueling this growth. Most of these nations do not have the restrictions prevalent in developed nations, such as advertising bans, warning labels, and distribution restrictions. Consequently, it is predicted that one billion people worldwide will die this century from smoking-related ailments.

1. Given the extreme health risks, should marketers stop selling cigarettes even though they are legal and demanded by consumers? Should cigarette marketers continue to use marketing tactics that are restricted in one country in other countries where they are not restricted?
2. Research the history of cigarette marketing in the United States. Are there any new restrictions with respect to marketing this product?

Question 2:
From: Chapter 2: Company and Marketing Strategy: Partnering to Build Customer Relationships
Name of the textbook: Principles of Marketing (14th Edition)
PHILIP Kotler "Northwestern University" & GARY Armstrong "University of North Carolina"
Question title: Focus on ethics "Page 61"

With 64 percent of the women in the United States overweight or obese and less than half participating in regular physical activity, athletic shoe marketers saw an opportunity: "toning shoes." Marketers tout these shoes as revolutionary; you can tone your muscles, lose weight, and improve your posture just by wearing them and going about your daily business. The claims are based on shoemaker-sponsored studies, and the Podiatric Medical Association agrees that toning shoes have some health value. They purportedly perform their magic by destabilizing a person's gait, making leg muscles work harder. Consumers, particularly women, are buying it. Toning shoe sales reached an estimated $1.5 billion in 2010. Sketchers saw a 69 percent increase in sales due to its shoe that looks like a rocking chair on the bottom. Reebok expected toning shoe sales to increase tenfold to $10 million in 2010. Toning shoes accounted for 20 percent of the women's performance footwear category in 2009, with prices ranging from $80 to more than $200. However, these shoes have their critics, who claim a shoe that comes with an instruction booklet and an educational DVD to explain proper usage should wave warning flags to consumers. Some doctors claim the shoes are dangerous, causing strained Achilles tendons or worse; one wearer broke her ankle while wearing them. A study by the American Council on Exercise found no benefit in toning shoes over regular walking or other exercise. Noticeably absent from the toning shoe feeding frenzy is Nike, which thinks it's all hype and is sticking to traditional performance athletic shoes. This leader in the women's shoe market, however, is losing market share to competitors.

1. Should these shoemakers capitalize on consumers who want to be fit without doing the work to achieve that goal? Do you think that basing claims on research sponsored by the company is ethical? Explain your reasoning
2. Should Nike have entered this product category instead of giving up market share to competitors? Explain your reasoning.

Question 3:
From: Chapter 3: Analyzing the Marketing Environment
Name of the textbook: Principles of Marketing (14th Edition)
PHILIP Kotler "Northwestern University" & GARY Armstrong "University of North Carolina"
Question title: Focus on Technology "Page 93"

If you really want to identify the zeitgeist, or "spirit of the times," look at the top Web sites visited, the top videos watched on YouTube, the top songs downloaded, or the top Twitter feeds. Trend spotters such as Faith Popcorn and Tom Peters have been mainstays for marketers trying to understand cultural trends, but the Internet is now the new crystal ball for anyone wanting to predict where society is going in real time. The World Mind Network provides a clearinghouse of links to "top" lists at www.thetopeverything.net. In just a few minutes a day, you, too, can be up on what's hot in today's culture.

1. Visit www.thetopeverything.net and review the Web sites identified. What can you learn about culture and cultural trends from these sources? Write a brief report on your conclusions.
2. Do you think these sources accurately reflect cultural trends? Identify other Web sites that might be useful in learning about cultural trends.