This essay will try to express my opinion on whether marketing is bad or good. The essay will also try to address some of the positive and negative consequences of marketing. I also tried to further explain the effects these consequences have on society. I have also tried to address issues such as marketing ethics, well-being and social values. Who wouldn't agree that marketing, to some extent, is good or bad? Before condemning marketing as bad or praising it as good, I will try to explain what marketing really is. My view on marketing is that it is a process that involves every step between the provider of the product or service and the consumer completing a transaction. It is the process of making your product attractive and enticing to your intended customers. Marketing is much more than just advertising. It includes the whole package – the right mix – an attractive product, an affordable price, an attention-grabbing promotion and a distribution system that reaches the intended customer. Now that I've briefly explained what marketing entails, I'll first get into the reasons why I think marketing can be a good thing. The first and most important reason why marketing can be positive is that it provides information to consumers and creates awareness of the product. For example, HIV/AIDS has created awareness about this disease among communities around the world. The campaign involves creating and disseminating information about the HIV virus and how it could be avoided through television, radio, external media, online and print. Another good reason for marketing is that it encourages people, especially younger generations, to instill good habits in themselves, such as drinking milk. For example, the question "I have millions... halfway through the card..." can only be answered by the consumer in question. As for me, I'll go both ways. To me marketing is sometimes good, sometimes bad and sometimes just plain annoying basically because you can't watch a TV soap without being interrupted by commercials promoting what and what not for the same length of time as the show you're watching. References http://www.whymilk.com http:/. /www.knowhivaids.orghttp://www.maccosmetics.comhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/http://www.whitehouse.gov /news/releases/2001/09/20010927-1.htmlhttp://www.visit4info.com/static/advertiser_pages/MangoFashion.cfm?return_page=com_m.cfmhttp://money.cnn.com/2002/05/22 /news/companies/abercrombie/http://www.boxtops4education.com/index.aspxhttp://www.brides.com/http://content.monster.ca/7471_en-CA_p1.asp