demarketing
C1Formal, Technical
Definition
Meaning
Marketing strategies aimed at permanently or temporarily reducing the demand for a product or service, rather than increasing it.
A business process that involves actively discouraging consumption or use of a product, often to manage scarcity, improve brand image, or address social responsibility concerns. It can be selective (targeting certain customer segments) or general (aimed at the entire market).
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
It is a deliberate strategic action, not a passive loss of interest. Often overlaps with concepts of social marketing, ethical marketing, and public health campaigns. The goal is not to destroy demand but to manage it intelligently.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant difference in meaning or usage. The term is equally technical in both variants.
Connotations
Neutral business/management term in both regions.
Frequency
Low frequency in general discourse but standard within marketing and business management contexts in both the UK and US.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
[Company] + demarkets + [product/service][Campaign] + is aimed at demarketing + [undesirable behaviour]To + demarket + [something] + to + [audience]Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Usage
Context Usage
Business
A water utility may use demarketing during a drought to encourage conservation.
Academic
The paper analysed the ethics of demarketing in the tobacco industry.
Everyday
Rarely used in everyday conversation. Might be paraphrased as 'trying to get people to use/buy less of something'.
Technical
Selective demarketing involves discouraging unprofitable customer segments without alienating the core market.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The council decided to demarket single-use plastics in all its facilities.
- During the energy crisis, the government had to demarket excessive electricity use.
American English
- The company is demarketing its oldest, least profitable product line to focus on new releases.
- Public health officials demarket sugary drinks through graphic warning labels.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- The museum used demarketing by raising ticket prices at peak times to reduce overcrowding.
- Demarketing can be a responsible strategy for managing limited resources like water.
- The luxury brand engaged in selective demarketing to maintain exclusivity, subtly discouraging purchases from certain demographic segments.
- Ethical demarketing of fast fashion involves educating consumers on the environmental cost of overconsumption.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of 'DE-activating the MARKET' or turning the marketing engine into REVERSE.
Conceptual Metaphor
MARKETING IS A DIRECTIONAL FORCE (forward = promote, reverse = demote/demarket).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Не путать с «демаркетингом» как просто плохим маркетингом. В русском заимствованный термин «демаркетинг» обычно сохраняет тот же узкий, стратегический смысл.
- Не переводить как «размаркетинг» — это калька, не являющаяся устоявшимся термином.
Common Mistakes
- Using it to mean 'bad marketing' or 'failed marketing campaign'.
- Confusing it with 'greenwashing' (demarketing is an active reduction strategy, not just an image claim).
Practice
Quiz
What is the primary objective of demarketing?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Demarketing is an active, strategic communication effort to reduce demand. Simply stopping marketing might lead to a gradual, unmanaged decline, not a strategic reduction.
Yes. It can help manage limited supply, phase out old products, improve brand image by showing social responsibility, or increase profitability by discouraging unprofitable customer segments.
A 'Please conserve water' campaign during a drought is a form of demarketing for water usage. Anti-smoking public service announcements are another classic example.
They are very similar and often used interchangeably. Some theorists suggest 'unselling' is more about discouraging a specific purchase, while 'demarketing' is a broader, longer-term strategic framework.