IELTS Common Essay Topic: Marketing and Advertising

IELTS Common Essay Topic: Marketing and Advertising

Marketing and advertising are actually for branding product (primary, manufacturing, and service sector) so that customer can get to know about it and ultimately, buys the product. These two are used synonymously. It is important because it helps to get in touch (connect) with customers.

Difference between marketing and advertising:

Marketing is a process of recognizing the needs of the consumers and analyzing that how in a best possible way those needs can be fulfilled. Whereas, advertisement is a part of marketing procedure. Advertisement is promoting the brand or a product of brand so that it can reach the consumers.

NOTE: Marketing is a process of building a brand through advertising.

Why is marketing done?

a) To reach out/ to get in touch with customers.
b) To increase the sales and profit.

How is marketing done?

Offline: Ads in the newspaper, pamphlets, boards and hoardings.

Online: Through social media (Instagram, Facebook).

NOTE: Online marketing is more effective these days.

Brand value:

a) The image of a product which advertisement and marketing represents.
b) It shows positive association with the product.

What is positive marketing?

Full filling the needs of the consumers in cost effective way.
Staying in the touch with the consumers (asking suggestion, taking queries, etc.).
Making product available in all the possible places.
Establishing trust with consumers with genuine products and services.

What is negative marketing?

Creating an exclusionary role.
Mocking other brands or companies directly or indirectly.
To associate with other brands for degrading a particular brand or company.

Note: For the brand value positive marketing is more important.

Advantages of Advertisement:

Helps in launching new product in the market
Creates awareness among the consumers about the product or the service
Helps in the growth of the market
Increase the sales rate of the product and profit of the company
Creates job opportunities
Advertising is a key part of modern business
Companies need to tell customers about their products and services
Advertising is a creative industry that employs many people
Without advertising we would have less choice
People enjoy adverts

Disadvantages of Advertisement:

Advertising manipulates people
It aims to persuade people that buying a product will make them happier
Advertisers focus on selling a brand image
They use glamorous, successful people
We are persuaded to follow the latest trend which increases materialism
We are encouraged to associate certain brands with a higher status
Advertisers often aim their marketing at children
Children can easily be influenced by advertisements
Children put pressure on parents to buy them things
Promotes consumerism

Peer marketing (organic marketing):

Peer marketing is type of marketing in which consumers recommend the products to their peers. It is also known as peer to peer (P2P) marketing. It is organic marketing because it depends upon actual reviews of the product and services which brings new customers.

Sample Topics:

Some people say that advertising is extremely successful at persuading us to buy things. Other people think that advertising is so common that we no longer pay attention to it. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.
In their advertising, businesses nowadays usually emphasize that their products are new in some way. Why is this? Do you think it is a positive or negative development?
Today, the high sales of popular consumer goods reflect the power of advertising and not the real needs of the society in which they are sold. To what extent do you agree or disagree?