a need for that product and the business ability to portray its product as filling that
need. Both the need and the portrayal are often hard to distinguish. The portrayal or
advertisement can create a need that the consumer had previously been unaware of.
The weakness of the consumer is therefore often in the consumers inability to deny
their visceral reactions to an advertisement or in the consumers inability to deny the
pleas of others in their household who are too weak to overcome the lure of the
advertisement. A classic example of this can be seen in the annual riots that are found
in toystores every Christmas. Millions upon millions of Americans storm the stores,
fight amongst themselves, or pay exorbitant prices for the right own a Cabbage Patch
Doll or Tickle Me Elmo. Those products are not the result of an actual need by the
consumer, perse, but rather their weakness in not being able to either fend off their
childs desire to own the toy, or fend off the perception that buying such toys confers
some sense of status or class.
Yet, it would be rash to say that all products of a business are successful, strictly
because of the marketing. Some products find their success in their inherent quality
and functionality. For instance, the Dell Coporation is a hugely successful business
whose success can be attributed to its long-standing reputation for building quality
custome-made computers and providing exceptional technical service. In its recent
years, Dell has introduced a diverse and comprehensive marketing campaign. Yet, Dells
success and reputation in the Computer Industry existed far before this campaign ever
hit the streets. In this instance, Dells success was not due to the consumers inability
or weakness to keep themselves from buying a computer, but rather the intrinsic
quality of the product that Dell produced.
It is certainly true that any business greatly benefits from a well-planned, wellexecuted marketing campaign. In this sense, consumer weakness can be seen to play a
very large role in the success of a business. Yet, for the most part, a product that is in
and of itself an excellent product can attribute its success primarily to its own quality
rather than a weakness to strong marketing. Just as a product with little inherent value
can be sold successfully despite the absence of an actual need, so, too, can a product of
high quality be sold despite the absence of marketing and consumer weakness.
Understanding these two components can greatly enhance the success of just about any
business. A business has a greater chance of success when this union is brought to life.
SCORE = 6
Explanation of score:
This essay addresses all three rhetorical tasks with clarity and depth. The opening paragraph, which
explores the tendency of companies to create needs for otherwise unnecessary goods, is the essays
strongest section. Some of the complexity of the prompt topic emerges in the essays exploration of
the subtle interplay between actual need and the portrayal of need, and in its extension of the idea of
consumer weakness to include the difficulty consumers face in saying no to the pleas of others in
their household.
The second paragraphs discussion of the success of Dell Computers in Task 2 is not particularly
nuanced, but nonetheless supplies an effective discussion of a well chosen counterexample. The writer
then brings together the specific points made in the first two paragraphs to provide an insightful
generalization about product marketing in the concluding paragraph, successfully addressing Task 3.
Language use throughout is clear, effective, and precise. Overall, the essay is thoughtful, unified,
focused, and coherent. In its consistency and thoughtfulness, it earns a score of 6.
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