ABSTRACT
The twentieth century has witnessed the rapid development of marketing as a formal discipline. Marketing is the exchange process by which organizations and individuals obtain what they need and want by identifying value, providing it, communicating it, and delivering it to others (Kotler 2000). Overtime, marketing has become more sophisticated and created numerous benefits to society and individual consumers, directly and indirectly. First, as engine of U.S. economy, marketing helps to sustain the development of a high-income society. Second, by identifying consumer needs and coupling them with multiple channels (e.g., retail stores, telephone, and the Internet), marketing improves the availability and quality of a variety of products. Third, through increasing consumer demand, marketing helps to lower production costs and make products more affordable. Finally, through advertising and other communication alternatives, marketing teaches consumers to become more knowledgeable about products and their rights as consumers.
