The Road AheadThe Love business [Archives:2003/643/Business & Economy]

Raidan Al-Saqqaf
Rashid & Akram from the marketing department, Ayman from the financial department. In the next couple of months four of the YT staff are getting married, i.e.from the financial department, and also Hayaf, our beloved cashier. Which has brought the thought up; what is the deal with this marriage business?
They say, finding your mate is a very tricky business, especially when love is involved. Because everybody wants love, everyone wants acceptance, everybody wants to be accepted, and everybody loves being loved or be in love.
So love is all about acceptance, and marriage is the legal license to be loved and in love, indeed, marriage is about two people who are (or trying to be) in love, and accepting each other. From a man's point of view, (and I do not mean to be sexist) in the 50's, all you needed to be (or have) to be accepted or to create that ideal man (in Yemen) is to be able to read & write, have a nice house and a spacious agricultural land. However in the 60's, all you need to have is a nice suit, a well paying job, a nice house, and an attitude.
This has gradually changed until the 00's, because now if you want to get married you will be told: “Get yourself a luxurious car, a modern apartment, the ultimate mobile phone, a career that fulfills you, three languages, a gym membership, the ability to cook at least three meals excluding scrambled eggs, and don't forget the attitude.
You may have noticed, dear reader, that this must-have the list been increased in the course of years, not because women are more demanding as time passes by, but because men feel that they need all of this in order to get a women or fall in love with, they think that these things can get them accepted by the other sex and get the pretty girl down the corner to like him, basic human behavior.
Of course, Marketers have exploited this point wisely, there are many cosmetics, accessories and perfumes for men than there ever were, there is the Axe effect, the blue Hugo and the GIO (which I use, too) along with many other products, so what is the bad idea behind this increase?
In marketing, every person has a four- status attitude, the actual self, and ideal self, the social actual self (how people around you see you, including the girl around the corner), and the social ideal self. And whatever product you buy, that will take you a step closer to your ideal being, which we (poor things) put on our selves.
End note: Love is about two people coming together, and a excellent opportunity for marketing, trying to make people move close to their ideal personal and social self concepts, by buying several products. Why is this going to help? Because people need love, they need acceptance.
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