Reference no: EM133119853

As marketers increasingly develop marketing programs tailored to certain target market segments, some critics have denounced these efforts as exploitative. For example, the preponderance of billboards advertising cigarettes, alcohol, and gambling in low income urban areas is seen as taking advantage of a vulnerable market segment. Some would answer these critics by saying that targeting and positioning is critical to marketing and that it is condescending to assume that certain groups of consumers are not mature enough to make up their own minds about what they purchase. How do you feel about this issue?

How important are bricks and mortar stores in today's internet world? How do you see the future of retail evolving as it relates to a business' online v. physical presence in the marketplace? Are there some products/services that will never be able to be sold exclusively online or do you see a future where everything can be marketed in this way? What are the implications of a movement towards more internet marketing?