Response to Kerri Hinkle's "Marketing through Mission"

What do you think about the ethical implications of using a mission to win customers?
Is it a smart idea? Why or why not?

Organizations are constantly claiming CSR yet time and time again we witness that their claims are at best exaggerated.  However i do believe that the mission statement of the company is the best goal the company can seek out, not necessarily the one they have achieved.  even if a company is lacking in CSR at least a responsible mission statement proves they are aware of the issues that may be plaguing society.  as to whether this is a scheme to win over customers i truly do not know.  it is always a smart idea to have a socailly responsible mission statement, it is the responsibility of the consumer to question the company and  find out how legitimate the claims in that statement may be. 

Importance of Proper Research

This week in class we hit upon the importance of research to a marketing firm.  A firm must know everything about their product, how customers react to it, and what demographics it will sell best to.  they even consider the social ramifications their ads and test samples of consumers before releasing them. however, as was evident when we watched the banned ad on youtube, sometimes this research fails.  Whether it be the managers fail to see the customer reaction to their product or the social implications it may have, there are instances when the research proves wrong.

What do you think are the main reasons marketing research can fail.   How would you address these issues as a manager?