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Brief Contents
SECTION 1 Consumers in the SECTION 4 Consumers in Their Social
Marketplace and Cultural Settings
1 An Introduction to Consumer 11 Group Influence and
Behaviour  1 Social Media  330

SECTION 2 Consumers as 12 Income, Social Class, and

Family Structure  366
Individuals
2 Perception  36 13 Subcultures  402

3 Learning and Memory  65 14 Cultural Influences on

Consumer Behaviour  437
4 Motivation and Affect  100
15 The Creation and Diffusion
5 The Self  128 of Culture  470

6 Personality, Lifestyles, Appendix I: Careers in Consumer

and Values  162 Research499

Appendix II: Research Methods 501

SECTION 3 Attitude Change
and Decision Making
Appendix III: Sources of Secondary Data 508
7 Attitudes  195
Glossary510
8 Attitude Change and
Interactive Communications  224 Indexes520

9 Individual Decision Making  258

10 Buying and Disposing  295

v
xii Contents

14 Cultural Influences on Consumer 15 The Creation and Diffusion

Behaviour  437 of Culture  470
Introduction  437 Introduction  470
Dimensions of Culture  438 Cultural Selection and Production  470
Aspects of Cultural Systems  438 Culture Production Systems  472
Factors that Differ Across Cultures  438 Cultural Gatekeepers  474
Myths  442 High Culture and Popular Culture  475
Myths in Popular Culture  443 Cultural Formulae  475
Rituals  445 Marketing Opportunity  476
Marketing Opportunity  447 Product Placement  476
Grooming Rituals  447 Marketing Pitfall  477
Gift-Giving Rituals  447 Advergaming  478
Marketing Opportunity  448 The Diffusion of Innovations  478
The Tangled Web  449 How Do We Decide to Adopt an Innovation?  479
Holiday Rituals  450 Types of Innovations  482
Marketing Opportunity  452 Marketing Opportunity  483
Rites of Passage  452 Prerequisites for Successful Adoption  483
Sacred and Profane Consumption  452 The Fashion System  484
Sacralization  453 Cultural Categories  485
As I See It  454 As I See It  486

Marketing Opportunity  455 Behavioural Science Perspectives on Fashion  487

Desacralization  456 Marketing Pitfall  488

Language and Symbols  456 The Tangled Web  490

Marketing Pitfall  457 Cycles of Fashion Adoption  490
Chapter Summary  493
Marketing Across Cultures: Think Globally or
Act Locally?  458 Key Terms  493

Adopting a Standardized Strategy  458 Review Questions  494

Adopting a Localized Strategy  459 Consumer Behaviour Challenge  494

Case Study: Marketing in Practice  495
The Tangled Web  460
Notes  495
When Does Global Marketing Work Best?  461
The Diffusion of Consumer Culture Across Appendix I: Careers in Consumer Research  499
Cultures  462
Appendix II: Research Methods  501
Chapter Summary  463
Key Terms  464 Appendix III: Sources of Secondary Data  508
Review Questions  464
Glossary  510
Consumer Behaviour Challenge  464
Case Study: Marketing in Practice  465 Product, Services, Corporate, and Celebrity Index  520
Notes  466 Subject Index  530
About the Authors
Michael R. Solomon,
Ph.D., is Professor of
Marketing in the Haub
School of Business at
Saint Joseph’s Univer-
sity in Philadelphia.
Before joining the Saint
Joseph’s faculty in the
fall of 2006, he was the
Human Sciences Pro-
fessor of Consumer
Behavior at Auburn
University. Before moving to Auburn in 1995, he was chair of
the Department of Marketing in the School of Business at
Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey. Professor
Solomon began his academic career in the Graduate School
of Business Administration at New York University (NYU),
where he also served as Associate Director of NYU’s Insti-
tute of Retail Management. He earned his B.A. degrees in
psychology and sociology magna cum laude at Brandeis
University and a Ph.D. in social psychology at the University
of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In 1996 he was awarded
the Fulbright/FLAD Chair in Market Globalization by the
U.S. Fulbright Commission and the Government of Portugal,
and he served as Distinguished Lecturer in Marketing at the
Technical University of Lisbon. He held an appointment as
Professor of Consumer Behaviour at the University of
Manchester (United Kingdom) from 2007 to 2013.
Professor Solomon’s primary research interests include
consumer behaviour and lifestyle issues; branding strat-
egy; the symbolic aspects of products; the psychology of
fashion, decoration, and image; services marketing; mar-
keting in virtual worlds; and the development of visually
oriented online research methodologies. He has published
numerous articles on these and related topics in academic
journals, and he has delivered invited lectures on these
subjects in Europe, Australia, Asia, and Latin America. His
research has been funded by the American Academy of
Advertising, the American Marketing Association, the U.S.
Department of Agriculture, the International Council of
Shopping Centers, and the U.S. Department of Commerce.
He currently sits on the editorial or advisory boards of
The Journal of Consumer Behaviour, Journal of Marketing
Theory and Practice, Critical Studies in Fashion and Beauty,
and Journal for Advancement of Marketing Education, and he
served an elected six-year term on the Board of Governors
of the Academy of Marketing Science. Professor Solomon
has been recognized as one of the 15 most widely cited
scholars in the academic behavioural sciences/fashion lit-
erature, and as one of the 10 most productive scholars in
the field of advertising and marketing communications.
Professor Solomon is a frequent contributor to mass
media. His feature articles have appeared in such maga-
zines as Psychology Today, Gentleman’s Quarterly, and Savvy.
He has been quoted in numerous national magazines and
newspapers, including Advertising Age, Adweek, Allure,
Elle, Glamour, Mademoiselle, Mirabella, Newsweek, The New
York Times, Self, Time, USA Today, and The Wall Street
Journal. He frequently appears on television and speaks on
radio to comment on consumer behaviour issues, includ-
ing appearances on The Today Show, Good Morning America,
Inside Edition, Newsweek on the Air, the Entrepreneur Sales
and Marketing Show, CNBC, Channel One, The Wall Street
Journal Radio Network, the WOR Radio Network, and
National Public Radio. He acts as consultant to numerous
companies on consumer behaviour and marketing strat-
egy issues and often speaks to business groups throughout
the United States and overseas. In addition to this text,
Professor Solomon is coauthor of the widely used textbook
Marketing: Real People, Real Choices. He has three children,
Amanda, Zachary, and Alexandra; a son-in-law, Orly; and
three granddaughters, Rose, Evey, and Arya. He lives in
Philadelphia with his wife Gail and their “other child,” a
pug named Kelbie Rae.
xiii
xiv About the Authors

Kelley J. Main is pro- Award); teaching (e.g., University of Manitoba Graduate

fessor of marketing at Students’ Association Teaching Award), and service (e.g.,
the Asper School of Associates Achievement Award for Service and the Uni-
Business and Associate versity of Manitoba Faculty Association (UMFA) Merit
Dean of the Faculty of Award for Service) efforts. Before her current position at
Graduate Studies, Uni- the University of Manitoba, she held a faculty appoint-
versity of Manitoba. ment at York University’s Schulich School of Business for
Kelley completed her three years and has been a visiting professor at HEC
Ph.D. at the University Montreal.
of British Columbia, Kelley’s research is focused at the intersection of social
her M.A. at the Univer- psychology and consumer behaviour. In particular, her
sity of Manitoba, and research interests focus on persuasion, trust, suspicion,
her B.A.H. at the Uni- and identity. Her published work has appeared in top-tier
versity of Winnipeg. journals including Journal of Consumer Psychology, Journal of
Kelley has taught courses in consumer behaviour, Consumer Research, International Journal of Research in
marketing research, and research methods at the under- Marketing, Journal of Retailing, Journal of Business Research,
graduate and graduate levels. Kelley has won awards for Journal of Advertising, European Journal of Marketing, Journal
her research (e.g., The Park Prize for Outstanding Contri- of Personality and Social Psychology, and Personality and
bution to the Journal of Consumer Psychology, and the Social Psychology Bulletin. Her work has been presented at
2007 Journal of Consumer Psychology Young Contributor numerous national and international conferences.

Katherine (Kate) social marketing, and sustainability marketing. Her pub-

White is professor of lished work has appeared in top-tier journals including
marketing and behav- Journal of Marketing, Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of
ioural science at the Marketing Research, Journal of Consumer Psychology, Journal
Sauder School of Busi- of Personality and Social Psychology, Personality and Social
ness, University of Brit- Psychology Bulletin, Journal of Experimental Social Psychology,
ish Columbia. She and Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology. In addition, her
holds a Professorship work has been presented at over 50 national and interna-
in Consumer Insights, tional conferences.
Prosocial Consump- Kate recently received the Dean’s Award for Outstand-
tion, and Sustainability. ing Scholar and has been identified as a “Young Scholar”
Kate is trained as a by the Marketing Science Institute. This latter honour is
social psychologist and given to young academics identified as potential leaders of
she completed her the next generation of marketing researchers. Kate is asso-
Ph.D. at the University of British Columbia, her M.A. at ciate editor at the Journal of Marketing Research and is on the
the University of Waterloo, and her B.A. at Simon Fraser editorial boards of the Journal of Consumer Research and the
University. Kate teaches courses in consumer behaviour, Journal of Consumer Psychology. She has been ranked num-
consumer insights, marketing strategy, and sustainability ber 15 worldwide for publications in the A-level marketing
marketing at the undergraduate, graduate, and executive journals by the American Marketing Association.
levels. She has also consulted on various marketing and Kate is mother of twin daughters and in their spare
behaviour change projects with clients such as the City of time they like to travel. When the girls were two, they
Calgary, My Sustainable Canada, DDB Canada, and Big went on Semester at Sea, a program run through the Uni-
Rock Brewery. versity of Virginia. They spent a semester at sea and trav-
Kate’s research is focused on the application of social elled to Spain, Morocco, Ghana, South Africa, Mauritius,
psychology to understanding consumer behaviour. In par- India, Singapore, Vietnam, China, and Japan. Follow Kate
ticular, her research interests focus on social influence, on Twitter @White_K8.
 About the Authors xv

Darren Dahl is the in chief of the Journal of Consumer Research and serves on
senior associate dean of the editorial boards of the Journal of Marketing Research,
Faculty, director of the Journal of Marketing, and International Journal of Research in
Robert H. Lee Graduate Marketing. He has been ranked number one worldwide for
School, and BC Innova- publications in the A-level marketing journals by the
tion Council Professor American Marketing Association.
at the University of Darren teaches courses in consumer behaviour, mar-
British Columbia. keting research, and strategic marketing analysis at the
Darren completed his undergraduate, M.B.A., and executive education levels.
Ph.D. at the University He has won awards for both his research (e.g., Marketing
of British Columbia Science Institute Young Scholar) and his teaching (e.g., 3M
and his B.Comm. at the Award for Excellence in Teaching) efforts. Before his cur-
University of Alberta. rent position at the University of British Columbia, he held
Darren’s research a faculty appointment at the University of Manitoba for
interests are in the areas of new product design and devel- four years and has been a visiting professor at Stanford
opment, creativity, consumer product adoption, the role of University, Columbia University, Hong Kong University of
social influence in consumer behaviour, and understand- Science and Technology, and Thammasat University in
ing the role of self-conscious emotions in consumption. Thailand. Darren has consulted and organized education
His research has been presented at numerous national and programs for a number of non-profit and for-profit organi-
international conferences, and published in various texts zations, such as Cathay Pacific, Procter & Gamble, Xerox,
and such journals as the Journal of Marketing Research, Jour- General Electric, Vancouver Public Health, Teekay Ship-
nal of Marketing, Journal of Consumer Research, Management ping, Lululemon Athletica, Earls Restaurants, Agent Pro-
Science, and Journal of Consumer Psychology. He was editor vocateur, Daehong Advertising–Korea, and LIC India.
Preface
This is the eighth Canadian edition of Consumer Behaviour.
The changes over all these editions have really made this a
unique text that captures the Canadian identity.
The textbook still carries Michael R. Solomon’s trade-
mark of vastly interesting examples and issues. We have
tried not to interfere with his winning style, but have defi-
nitely added our own twist. Chapters 12 and 13 are pre-
sented with a distinctly Canadian focus. Throughout, we
have integrated successful Canadian stories. In addition, the
“As I See It” boxes, which present the point of view of con-
sumer researchers, are all from scholars at Canadian univer-
sities. These boxes have all either been updated or changed
to reflect new researchers and their current work. The cases
presented at the end of each chapter all represent real com-
panies and issues that have a distinctly Canadian focus.
The “Buying, Having,
Being” Approach and
Objective
As the book’s subtitle, “Buying, Having, Being,” suggests,
our version of this field goes beyond looking at the act of
buying to having and being as well. That is, consumer
behaviour is more than buying things; it also embraces the
study of how having (or not having) things affects our
lives and how our possessions influence the way we feel
about ourselves and about each other—our state of being.
In addition to understanding why people buy things, we
try to appreciate how products, services, and consumption
activities contribute to the broader social world we experi-
ence. Whether shopping, cooking, cleaning, playing basket-
ball, hanging out at the beach, or even looking at ourselves in
the mirror, our lives are touched by the marketing system.
And, as if these experiences weren’t complex enough, the task
of understanding the consumer multiplies dramatically when
a multicultural perspective is taken. In addition to the numer-
ous examples of marketing and consumer practices relating
to consumers and companies, chapters contain boxes called
“Marketing Pitfall,” which highlight missteps that have been
made, and “The Tangled Web,” which talks about the added
complexity the Internet brings to consumer behaviour.
The book also emphasizes the importance of under-
standing consumers in formulating marketing strategy.
Many (if not most) of the fundamental concepts in marketing
are based on the practitioner’s ability to know people. After
all, if we don’t understand why people behave as they do,
xvi
how can we identify their needs? If we can’t identify their
needs, how can we satisfy those needs? To illustrate the
potential of consumer research to inform marketing strategy,
the text contains numerous examples of specific applications
of consumer behaviour concepts by marketing practitioners,
as well as examples of windows of opportunity where such
concepts might be used—perhaps by alert strategists after
taking this course! Many of these possibilities are highlighted
in special features called “Marketing Opportunity.”
Features of the Eighth
Canadian Edition
The eighth Canadian edition of Consumer Behaviour retains
and updates the best elements of the previous edition.
They include:
“As I See It”: We have asked fellow researchers to share
their current work and explain how it relates to the various
theories of consumer behaviour.
End-of-chapter cases: These cases highlight current real-
world marketing and consumer issues and have a dis-
tinctly Canadian focus. The questions at the end of each
case ask students to use concepts they learned in the chap-
ter to address real-world questions and problems.
“Marketing Opportunity”: These examples help to highlight
the fascinating ways in which marketing practitioners
translate the wisdom they glean from consumer research
into actual business activities.
“Marketing Pitfall”: These examples help to highlight mar-
keting mistakes or ethically suspect activities.
“The Tangled Web”: These examples demonstrate the added
complexity the Internet brings to consumer behaviour.
“Chapter Objectives”: At the start of every chapter, these
learner objectives help students focus on key skills and top-
ics as they make their way through the chapter material.
Full-colour figures, photographs, advertisements, and illustrations:
Throughout each chapter, key concepts and applications are
illustrated with strong, full-colour visual materials.
“Chapter Summary”: This feature provides a concise review
of the chapter’s key topics.
“Key Terms”: Key terms are bolded within the text and
listed at the end of each chapter with page references. All
of the key terms are collected together in the glossary at
the back of the book, and are boldfaced with their page ref-
erences in the subject index.

“Review Questions”: These straightforward questions draw
attention to key concepts and theories in each chapter.
“Consumer Behaviour Challenge”: Each chapter contains two
sets of questions that challenge the student to apply the
key issues covered. Discussion questions encourage dia-
logue about important issues in consumer behaviour.
Experiential exercises connect learners directly to the mar-
ketplace and communities that provide the contexts for
consumer behaviour. Many new questions have been
added for this edition.
Indexes: A subject index and a product, service, corporate,
and celebrity index reference all information and examples
in the book.
What’s New in the Eighth
Canadian Edition?
This edition has been updated to reflect new trends,
research, and updated statistics. Some of the changes that
have been made are outlined below.
• One important trend that has been given more attention
in this edition is the impact of technology on consumer
behaviour. Some chapters discuss how technological
changes can influence consumption and marketing
practice such as the use of augmented and virtual real-
ity (Chapter 2), social media (Chapter 11), the use of
artificial intelligence (AI) (Chapter 9), block chain tech-
nology (Chapter 10) as well as social shopping and the
use of mobile shopping apps (Chapter 10).
• There is an expanded focus on participatory marketing.
One of the biggest transformations in consumer behav-
iour today is the extent to which everyday people actu-
ally participate to create and promote the products and
services they use as we all become absorbed into the
“Internet of Things.”
• Each chapter now features Marketing Pitfall boxes to
reflect that not everything marketers do is in the best
interest of consumers or of their environment. Likewise,
as consumers we do many things that are not so posi-
tive either. We suffer from addictions, status envy, eth-
nocentrism, racism, sexism and many other -isms.
Regrettably, there are times when marketing activities,
deliberately or not, encourage or exploit these human
flaws. These Marketing Pitfall boxes will highlight some
mistakes or ethically suspect activities.
• This edition also features a new The Tangled Web box in
each chapter. The digital world is not always a rosy
place. The potential to exploit consumers, whether by
invading their privacy, or providing false product infor-
mation is always there. The Tangled Web boxes will point
out some of the problems of this new medium.
Preface xvii
• In this edition, Marketing Opportunity boxes in each
chapter highlight the fascinating ways in which market-
ing practitioners can translate the wisdom they glean
from consumer research into actual business activities
(previously Marketing Insight). These boxes also aim to
help illustrate the potential of consumer research to
inform marketing strategy with numerous examples of
specific applications of consumer behaviour concepts by
marketing practitioners as well as examples of windows
of opportunity where we could use these concepts.
• The As I See It boxes each feature a “flesh and blood”
Canadian professor who shares their perspective as a
researcher in a particular area of consumer behaviour.
Our thanks to all these professors for their updated con-
tributions to this edition.
• The end of chapter cases which feature Canadian com-
panies have all been updated to reflect new changes
and trends. Several new cases have been introduced
that touch on nutrition warning labels (Chapter 7), new
disposal habits in the second hand luxury goods market
(Chapter 10), and using apps to increase sun safety
(Chapter 15). A special feature of this edition is the case
featured in Chapter 2 which was written by marketing
professional Camille Kennedy, reflecting a campaign of
which she was a part.
• A new appendix has been added to supplement the
research methods presented at the end of Chapter 1. This
section summarizes an array of methodologies to help
students understand that there is more than one way to
approach a challenging problem. The appendix shows
how a marketer with a specific problem might employ
each technique to better understand his or her customers.
• Other new research or trends that are discussed in this
eighth edition include discussions of multitasking and
mindfulness (Chapter 2), co-creation strategies and a new
discussion of how disgust influences consumption
(Chapter 4). Chapter 5 has an updated discussion on
LGBTQ+ consumers, as well as body image. The links
between products and lifestyles has an expanded discus-
sion in Chapter 6 as well as materialism. Fake news and
source credibility have dominated headlines and discus-
sions and this is added to Chapter 8. New economies such
as the underground economy and re-commerce are dis-
cussed in Chapter 10 and Chapter 11 adds information on
product curators and influencer marketing. Other chap-
ters have updated demographic statistics and research rel-
evant to consumer behaviour (Chapter 12 discusses Brazil
as a culture in addition to the others in prior editions).
• New key terms have been added throughout the chap-
ters and others have been removed to reflect the content
of the chapter. The chapter objectives have been revised
and each chapter includes new advertisements or exam-
ples to reflect new marketing strategies.
Acknowledgments
As the Canadian author, I would like to thank Michael R.
Solomon for continuing to provide updated, relevant
material and interesting revisions. I also owe much to my
colleagues who wrote many interesting articles that were
incorporated into prior editions, including David Hardisty
and Lindsey Boyle. I may have missed many additional
important papers and hope our colleagues will point
out to me where these can be added to the text for future
editions. I especially thank all our colleagues who contrib-
uted to the “As I See It” boxes and featuring their work:
Hamed Aghakhani, Dalhousie University
Olya Bullard, University of Winnipeg
Mohammed El-Hazzouri, Mount Royal University
Bianca Grohmann, Concordia University
Keri Kettle, University of Manitoba
Sandra Laporte, HEC Montreal
Hsin-Chen Lin, University of New Brunswick
Antonia Mantonakis, Brock University
Brent McFerran, Simon Fraser University
Sarah Moore, University of Alberta
Mehdi Mourali, University of Calgary
Theodore Noseworthy, York University
Ethan Pancer, St. Mary’s University
xviii
Barbara Phillips, University of Saskatchewan
Bonnie Simpson, Western University
I also thank the following colleagues who provided
reviews of the Seventh Edition:
Lianne Foti, University of Guelph
Andrew Goldsworthy, College of the North Atlantic
Makarand Gulawani, MacEwan University
Tim Jones, Memorial University of Newfoundland
Steven Kates, Simon Fraser University
Shirley Licht, Wilfrid Laurier University
Michael Mulvey, University of Ottawa
Graham Walker, Niagara College
Leo Wong, MacEwan University
I appreciate the work of the staff at Pearson Canada,
including Joanne Sutherland, Monika Schurmann, Sarah
Gallagher, Jo Cepeda, Steve Lee, Jordanna Caplan Luth,
John Polansky, and Scott Hardie. I also wish to thank
Judith Lynne Zaichkowsky, Rosemary Polegato, Katherine
White, and Darren Dahl for their excellent work on prior
Canadian editions of this work.
Kelley J. Main
Chapter 1
An Introduction to
Consumer Behaviour
Chapter Objectives
When you finish reading this chapter, you will understand why:
1.1 Consumer behaviour is a process.

1.2 Marketers must understand the wants and needs of different

consumer segments.
1.3 Our choices as consumers relate in powerful ways to the rest of our
lives.
1.4 Marketers must be aware of consumer trends.

1.5 Ethical issues in marketing and consumer behaviour are

important.
1.6 There is a “dark side” to some behaviours that can have negative
impacts on consumers and society.
1.7 Many different research methodologies can be used to understand
consumer behaviour.

Introduction
Gail has some time to kill before her accounting class, so she pulls out her iPhone to
see what’s going on in her social networks. So, where to go first? Gail goes straight
to Pinterest to see if anyone has pinned any new styles on her Shoe-aholic board.
She’s just about to jump to Tobi when her friend Courtney texts her to check out
Kourtney Kardashian’s new CZ initial necklace that’s just been revealed on the Be
Monogrammed jewellery blog. With her PayPal account, it doesn’t take Gail long to
throw the necklace in her cart and order it—and to share a photo of her haul on
­I nstagram. On a whim, Gail opens the Tinder app on her phone—yes, as usual,
plenty of guys want to meet up if she “swipes right.” Not happening with these
dweebs—a flurry of left swipes and she’s done. As Gail glances at the clock, she real-
izes she’d better come back to the real world or she’ll miss her class. Okay, enough
time for one quick post before she runs to catch the campus shuttle: Gail logs on to
RateMyProfessors.com and writes a quick but glowing paragraph about how great
her Consumer Behaviour professor has been this semester . . . not to mention that
awesome textbook the class has been using.

1
2 Section I Consumers in the Marketplace

Consumer Behaviour: People in the Marketplace

This book is about people like Gail—and you. It concerns the products and services we
buy and use, and the ways these fit into our lives. This introductory chapter describes
some important aspects of the field of consumer behaviour and some reasons why it’s
essential to understand how people interact with the marketing system. For now,
though, let’s return to one “typical” consumer: Gail, the business major. The preceding
vignette allows us to highlight some of the aspects of consumer behaviour we will cover
in the rest of the book. Gail is a consumer; let’s compare her to other consumers:
• For some purposes, marketers find it useful to categorize Gail in terms of her age,
gender, income, or occupation. These are descriptive characteristics of a popula-
tion, or demographics. In other cases, marketers would rather know something
about Gail’s psychographics, which can include aspects of a person’s lifestyle,
interests, attitudes, values, and personality. These could include her interests in
clothing or music, or the way she spends her leisure time. Knowledge of con-
sumer characteristics plays an extremely important role in many marketing appli-
cations, such as when a manufacturer defines the market for a product or when an
advertising agency decides upon the appropriate techniques to employ to target a
certain group of consumers.
• Gail’s friends strongly influence her purchase decisions. The conversations we
have with others transmit a lot of product information, as well as recommenda-
tions to use or avoid particular brands. This content often is more influential than
what we see on television commercials, magazines, or billboards. The growth
of the Web has created thousands of online consumption communities, where
members share opinions and recommendations about anything from baseball fan-
tasy league team lineups to iPhone apps.
• As members of a large society, such as Canada, people share certain cultural values,
or strongly held beliefs, about the way the world should function. Members of
subcultures, or smaller groups within the culture, also share values; these groups
include teens, French Canadians, or “prairie people,” and even hipsters who listen
to Arcade Fire, wear Band of Outsiders clothing, and eat vegan tacos.
• Every day, Gail comes into contact with information about many competing
brands. Some don’t capture her attention at all, whereas others are just a turnoff
because they don’t relate to “looks,” people, or ideas with which she identifies.
The use of market segmentation strategies means that an organization targets
its product, service, or idea only to specific groups of consumers rather than to
everybody—-even if it means that other consumers who don’t belong to this tar-
get market aren’t attracted to it. That’s why they make chocolate and vanilla ice
cream (and even candied bacon flavour!).
• Brands often have clearly defined images, or “personalities,” that advertising,
packaging, branding, and other marketing elements help to shape. Even the
choice of a favourite website is a lifestyle statement: It says a lot about a person’s
interests, as well as something about the type of person he or she would like to
be. People often purchase a product because they like its image or because they
feel its “personality” somehow corresponds to their own. Moreover, consumers
may believe that if they buy and use the product or service, its desirable quali-
ties will “magically” rub off on them. When a product or service succeeds in
satisfying our specific needs or desires, we may reward it with many years of
brand ­loyalty, a bond between product and consumer that is very difficult for
competitors to break.
• The appearance, taste, texture, or smell of the item influences our evaluations of prod-
ucts. A good website helps people to feel, taste, and smell with their eyes. We may be
 Chapter 1 An Introduction to Consumer Behaviour 3

swayed by the shape and colour of a package on the store shelf, as well as by subtler
factors, such as the symbolism in a brand name, in an advertisement, or even in the
choice of a cover model for a magazine. These judgments are affected by—and often
reflect—how a society feels people should define themselves at that point in time.

What Is Consumer Behaviour?

1.1 Consumer behaviour is a process.
The field of consumer behaviour covers a lot of ground: It is the study of the processes
involved when individuals or groups select, purchase, use, or dispose of products, ser-
vices, ideas, or experiences to satisfy needs and desires. Consumers take many forms,
ranging from an eight-year-old child who begs for a Hatchimals HatchiBabies to an
executive in a large corporation who helps to decide on a multi-million-dollar computer
system. The items we consume include anything from canned peas to a massage, Juicy
jeans, reggae music, or a celebrity like Katy Perry. Needs and desires to be satisfied
range from hunger and thirst to love, status, or even spiritual fulfillment. And, as we’ll
see throughout this book, people can get passionate about a broad range of products.

Consumer Behaviour Is a Process

In its early stages of development, the field of consumer behaviour was often referred
to as buyer behaviour, reflecting an emphasis on the interaction between consumers
and producers at the time of purchase. Marketers now recognize that consumer
behaviour is an ongoing process, not merely what happens at the moment a consumer
hands over money or a credit card and in turn receives a good or service.
The exchange, in which two or more organizations or people give and receive
something of value, is an integral part of marketing.1 Although exchange is an impor-
tant part of consumer behaviour, the expanded view emphasizes the entire consump-
tion process, which includes the issues that influence the consumer before, during,
and after a purchase. Figure 1–1 illustrates some of the issues addressed during each
stage of the consumption process.

FIGURE 1–1 Some Issues That Arise during Stages in the Consumption Process
CONSUMER’S PERSPECTIVE MARKETER’S PERSPECTIVE

How does a consumer decide that How are consumer attitudes toward
PREPURCHASE he or she needs a product? products formed and changed?
ISSUES What are the best sources of information What cues do consumers use to infer
to learn more about alternative choices? which products are superior to others?

Is acquiring a product a stressful or How do situational factors, such as time

PURCHASE
pleasant experience? What does the pressure or store displays, affect the
ISSUES
purchase say about the consumer? consumer’s purchase decision?

What determines whether a consumer

Does the product provide pleasure or
will be satisfied with a product and
perform its intended function?
POSTPURCHASE whether he or she will buy it again?
How is the product eventually disposed
ISSUES Does this person tell others about his or her
of, and what are the environmental
experiences with the product and affect
consequences of this act?
their purchase decisions?
4 Section I Consumers in the Marketplace

Consumers’ Impact
on Marketing Strategy
1.2 Marketers must understand the wants and needs of different
consumer segments.
Why should managers, advertisers, and other marketing professionals bother to learn
about consumer behaviour? Very simply, understanding consumer behaviour is good
business. A basic marketing concept states that firms exist to satisfy consumers’ needs.
These needs can be satisfied only to the extent that marketers understand the people
or organizations that will use the products and services they are trying to sell—and do
so better than their competitors.
Consumer response is the ultimate test of whether a marketing strategy will suc-
ceed. Thus, knowledge about consumers is incorporated into virtually every facet of a
successful marketing plan. Data about consumers help marketers define the market
and identify threats to a brand and opportunities for it. And, in the world of market-
ing, nothing is forever. This knowledge also helps ensure that the product continues to
appeal to its core market. The purpose of understanding consumer behaviour is to
predict the future. Anyone can see what is happening at present, but in consumer
behaviour we are also focused on tomorrow.

Marketing Opportunity
Successful companies understand that needs are a moving tar- • New business models that encourage consumers to rent
get. No organization—no matter how renowned for its marketing products only while they need them rather than buying
prowess—can afford to rest on its laurels. Everyone needs to them outright
keep innovating to stay ahead of changing customers and the
BMW’s response: The company committed more than
marketplace. BMW is a great example. No one (not even rivals
$1 billion to develop electric models like its i3 commuter car
like Audi or Mercedes-Benz) would deny that the German auto-
and i8 sports car. 2 These futuristic-looking vehicles are
maker knows how to make a good car (though they may not
largely made from lightweight carbon fibre to maximize
agree with the company’s claim to be “the ultimate driving
the distance they can go between battery charges, and
machine”). Still, BMW’s engineers and designers know they have
25 ­p ercent of the interior plastic comes from recycled or
to understand how drivers’ needs will change in the future—even
renewable raw materials. 3 In addition, BMW launched a
those loyal owners who love the cars they own today. The com-
­c ar-sharing service called DriveNow, which started in
pany is highly sensitive to such key trends as the following:
­G ermany and is now available in San Francisco. 4 Drivers
• A desire for environmentally friendly products use a computer chip in their licences to hire a car and leave
• Increasingly congested roadways and the movement by it wherever they are when they no longer need it. That’s
some cities such as London and New York to impose ­forward thinking.
fees on vehicles in central areas

Segmenting Consumers
The process of marketing segmentation identifies groups of consumers who are similar to
one another in one or more ways and then devises marketing strategies that appeal to one
or more groups. As our society evolves from a mass culture in which many consumers
share the same preferences to a diverse one in which we have almost an infinite number of
choices, it’s more important than ever to identify distinct market segments and to take
care in developing a marketing mix that resonates with each of these segments.
As we’ll see later, building loyalty to a brand is a very smart marketing strategy,
so sometimes companies define market segments by identifying their most faithful
customers or heavy users. As a rule of thumb, marketers use the 80/20 Rule: 20 per-
cent of users account for 80 percent of sales. This guideline often holds up well but
varies by product category. At the very least, it is relevant for the marketer to be aware
of who the heavy users of the product category are.
 Chapter 1 An Introduction to Consumer Behaviour 5

As we’ve already seen, demographics are statistics that measure observable

aspects of a population, such as birth rate, age distribution, and income. Statistics
Canada is a major source of demographic data on families. This information is avail-
able at www.statcan.gc.ca. The changes and trends revealed in demographic studies
are of great interest to marketers, because the data can be used to locate and predict
the sizes of markets for many products, ranging from home mortgages to brooms and
can openers. Imagine trying to sell baby food to a single male, or an around-the-world
vacation to a couple making $35 000 a year!
In this book, we’ll explore many of the important demographic variables that
make consumers the same as, or different from, others. Other important characteris-
tics are not so easy to measure, such as psychographics—differences in consumers’
personalities, attitudes, values, and lifestyles. For now, let’s summarize a few of the
most important demographic dimensions, each of which will be developed in more
detail in later chapters.

AGE Consumers of different age groups obviously have very different needs and
wants. Although people who belong to the same age group differ in many other ways,
they tend to share a set of values and common cultural experiences that they carry
throughout life.5 In some cases, marketers initially develop a product to attract one age
group and then try to broaden its appeal later on. The startup beauty brand Glossier
had an eye on young women from day one. The company quickly built a loyal cus-
tomer base entirely by way of social media. Employees talk directly to customers in a
casual voice. At one point Glossier’s eyebrow product had a 10 000-person wait.6

GENDER Many products, from fragrances to footwear, are targeted at either men or
women. Differentiating by gender starts at a very early age—even diapers are sold in
pink versions for girls and blue for boys. Many brands that initially appeal to only one
gender eventually seek to expand their market share by appealing to the other gender,
too. Take, for example, Lululemon, originally a women’s clothing brand that now
actively targets the male market.7

FAMILY STRUCTURE AND LIFE STAGE A person’s family structure and marital
status are two other important demographic variables, because they have a big impact
on a consumer’s spending priorities. Young singles and newlyweds are the most likely
to exercise; go to bars, concerts, and movies; and consume alcohol. Families with
young children are big purchasers of health foods and fruit juices, while single-parent

The Benjamin Hotel in New York City

offers a “Dream Dog” program that
pampers not only guests, but also their
dogs. The hotel is segmenting based
on both income and lifestyles, and is
appealing to higher-income consumers
who enjoy travelling with their pets.
Ken Gillespie Photography/Design Pics Inc /
Alamy Stock Photo
6 Section I Consumers in the Marketplace

households and those with older children buy more junk food. Home maintenance
services are most likely to be used by older couples and dual-career couples.

SOCIAL CLASS AND INCOME People grouped within the same social class are
approximately equal in terms of their incomes and social standing in the community.
They work in roughly similar occupations, and they tend to have similar tastes in
music, clothing, art, and so on. They also tend to socialize with one another and share
many ideas and values regarding the way life should be lived.8 The distribution of
wealth is of great interest to marketers because it determines which groups have the
greatest buying power and market potential.

ETHNICITY Multiculturalism and Canada go hand in hand. This country comprises

immigrants from all over the globe. Canada accepted over 1 million new immigrants
between 2011 and 2016.9 We are diverse in our languages and in the cultural consump-
tion that stems from our different ethnicities. For example, English is now a minority
language in Vancouver. The growth of the Asian market in Canada has led to trilin-
gual labelling of some products. Because Canadians blend together from many differ-
ent racial and cultural backgrounds, we also blend together in our consumption
heritage, as signified by food. As a culture, we are just as likely to enjoy eating sushi as
pyrohy (perogies) or lasagna.

GEOGRAPHY The climate changes drastically from region to region in Canada,

which makes segmenting some products by region a profitable strategy. For exam-
ple, while more snow blowers and fur coats are sold east of the Rocky Mountains,
more umbrellas and raincoats are sold to their west. Humidifiers and dehumidifiers
are a must in regions around the Great Lakes. On the Prairies, it is not unusual for
people to have two or more freezers in their basements; many people who live in
farming regions preserve the food they produce for winter and year-round
consumption.
Within regions, there are some different cultural pockets and hence differences in
food tastes. New Brunswick has the highest consumption of sliced white bread, while
Alberta leads in bubblegum sales. Most corn flakes are sold on the Prairies, and lin-
guini has its highest sales in Toronto. Quebecers consume the least amount of frozen
french fries, preferring the real thing.10

Marketing Opportunity
When Hurricane Sandy devastated cities on the East Coast
in 2012, some marketers rose to the occasion, whereas oth-
ers stumbled in the wind. Gap, for example, tweeted, “We’ll
be doing lots of Gap.com shopping today. How about you?”
American Apparel offered an incentive to shoppers: “In case
you’re bored during the storm, just Enter SANDYSALE at
checkout.” Many of the storm victims were not amused.
One tweeted, “Hey @americanapparel people have died and
others are in need. Shut up about your #Sandy sale.”
In contrast, Allstate ran radio commercials to let policy-
holders know how to file claims quickly. JetBlue Airways
waived change and cancellation fees for people who had to
rebook. How’s this for a relationship builder? Duracell bat-
teries sent a truck to New York City that offered free batter-
ies and access to charging lockers for mobile devices and
computers to desperate people who had been without
power (or even worse, without access to social media). 11
Here in Canada, when wildfires caused the largest evacua-
tion of residents in the province of Alberta’s history, the
government offered tax-relief measures to those residents
impacted.12

LIFESTYLES Consumers also have very different lifestyles, even if they share other
characteristics such as gender or age. The way we feel about ourselves, the things we
value, the things we like to do in our spare time—all of these factors help determine
which products will push our buttons or make us feel better.
 Chapter 1 An Introduction to Consumer Behaviour 7

Royal Oak Burial Park demonstrates

that marketers can use segmentation
based on factors such as lifestyles,
beliefs, and values to effectively
market virtually any type of product.
Courtesy of Royal Oak Burial Park/Trapeze
Communications

Segmenting by Relationships and Big Data

Marketers are carefully defining customer segments and listening to people in their
markets as never before. Many of them have realized that a key to success is building
relationships between brands and customers that will last a lifetime.
Relationship marketing involves making an effort to interact with customers on a
regular basis, giving them reasons to maintain a bond with the company over time.
The cosmetics brand Sephora practises the notion of relationship marketing by pro-
viding its most loyal customers with product rewards, personalized beauty recom-
mendations, and even a special gift when it is their birthday.
One way marketers attempt to create relationships with consumers is through
database marketing, which tracks specific consumers’ buying habits very closely and
crafts products and messages tailored precisely to people’s wants and needs based on
this information. Walmart stores massive amounts of information on the 100 million
people who visit its stores each week, and the company uses these data to fine-tune its
8 Section I Consumers in the Marketplace

offerings. We all generate massive amounts of information that hold tremendous value
for marketers. You may not see it, but we are practically buried by data that come from
many sources—sensors that collect climate information, the comments you and your
friends make at your favourite social media sites, the credit card transactions we autho-
rize, and even the GPS signals in our smartphones that let organizations know where
most of us are pretty much anytime, day or night. There were 3.8 billion Internet users
in 2017; a 42 percent increase in just three years! Social media platforms gain 840 new
users every minute. And in that same minute, Instagram users upload 46 740 million
posts.13 This incredible amount of information has created a new field that causes tre-
mendous excitement among marketing analysts (and other math geeks).
The collection and analysis of extremely large datasets is called big data, and
you’ll be hearing a lot more about it in the next few years. Hint: If you have aptitude
or interest in quantitative topics, this will be a very desirable career path for you.
Here are some of the types of relationships a person might have with a product:

• Self-concept attachment. The product helps to establish the user’s identity.

• Nostalgic attachment. The product serves as a link with a past self.
• Interdependence. The product is a part of the user’s daily routine.
• Love. The product elicits emotional bonds of warmth, passion, or other strong,
positive feelings.

Technologies like Bluetooth

­connectivity allow consumers to
­interact with products more intimately,
which in turn strengthens their
relationships.
Courtesy of the Procter & Gamble Company
 Chapter 1 An Introduction to Consumer Behaviour 9

Marketing’s Impact on Consumers

1.3 Our choices as consumers relate in powerful ways to the rest of our lives.
Does marketing imitate life or vice versa? After the movie The Hangover became a big
hit, consumers indicated an interest in replicating the same experiences as the charac-
ters in the film, including trying to get on the roof of Caesar’s Palace!14 For better or
for worse, we all live in a world in which the actions of marketers and the media have
significant influence.
We are surrounded by marketing stimuli in the form of advertisements, stores,
and products competing for our attention and our dollars. Marketers filter much of
what we learn about the world, whether through the affluence they depict in glam-
orous magazines or the roles actors play in commercials. Ads show us how we
should act with regard to recycling, alcohol consumption, and even the types of
houses and cars we wish to own. In many ways we are also “at the mercy” of mar-
keters, because we rely on them to sell us products that are safe and perform as
promised, to tell us the truth about what they are selling, and to price and distribute
these products fairly. Marketers exert a huge impact on the way we live, for better or
worse.

Marketing and Culture

Popular culture, consisting of the music, movies, sports, books, celebrities, and other
forms of entertainment consumed by the mass market, is both a product of and an
inspiration to marketers. Our lives are also affected in far-reaching ways, ranging from
how we acknowledge cultural events such as marriage, death, or holidays to how we
view social issues such as air pollution, gambling, and addiction. The Stanley Cup,
Boxing Day shopping, federal elections, container recycling, and tweeting are all
examples of products and activities that touch many lives.
This cultural influence is difficult to overlook, although many people do not
seem to realize how much their views of the world around them—their movie and
musical heroes, the latest fashions, food and decorating choices, and even the phys-
ical features they find attractive or ugly in men and women—are affected by mar-
keters. For example, consider the product icons that marketers use to create an
identity for their products. Various mythical creatures and personalities—from the

Many companies and entrepreneurs

are jumping on the new vaping
­bandwagon although the jury is still
out as to whether this substitute for
cigarette smoking is a good thing for
smokers or simply a way to entice
more young people to take up the
smoking habit.
Alexander Mak/Fotolia
10 Section I Consumers in the Marketplace

Pillsbury Doughboy to Sasquatch—have been at one time or another central figures

in popular culture. In fact, it is likely that more consumers could recognize such
characters than could identify past prime ministers, business leaders, or artists.
Although the characters never really existed, many of us feel as if we “know” them,
and they certainly are effective “spokes-characters” for the products they
represent.
Another important part of marketing’s influence on culture is through
consumer-generated content, in which consumers themselves voice their opinions
about products, brands, and companies on blogs, podcasts, and social networking
sites such as Facebook, and even film their own commercials that thousands view on
sites such as YouTube. This important trend helps to define the era of “Web 2.0,” the
rebirth of the Internet as a social, interactive medium from its original roots as a form
of one-way transmission from producers to consumers. Doritos has utilized consumer-
generated ads in its Super Bowl advertising since 2006, and these ads often score top
honours as the ad that the most viewers remember.15

The Meaning of Consumption

One of the fundamental premises of the modern field of consumer behaviour is that
people often buy products not for what they do but for what they mean. This principle does
not imply that a product’s basic function is unimportant, but rather that the roles
products play in our lives go well beyond the tasks they perform. Other things being
equal, a person will choose the brand that has an image (or even a personality!) con-
sistent with his or her underlying needs.
For example, although most people probably couldn’t run faster or jump higher
if they were wearing Under Armour as opposed to Nike athletic gear, many diehard
loyalists swear by their favourite brand. These arch-rivals are largely marketed in
terms of their images—meanings carefully crafted with the help of legions of rock
stars, athletes, and slickly produced commercials—and many millions of dollars. So,
when you buy a Nike “swoosh,” you may be doing more than choosing athletic
wear; you may also be making a lifestyle statement about the type of person you are
or want to be.
Our allegiances to particular sneakers, musicians, or soft drinks help us define
our place in modern society, and these choices also help us form bonds with others
who share similar preferences. This comment by a participant in a focus group cap-
tures the curious bonding that can be caused by consumption choices: “I was at a
Stanley Cup party, and I picked up an obscure drink. Somebody else across the room
went ‘Yo!’ because he had the same thing. People feel a connection when you’re drink-
ing the same thing.”16

The Global Consumer

One way the consumer experience has changed in the past few years is that, increas-
ingly, consumers can connect with and have similar experiences with other consumers
around the globe. Increases in social media usage and e-commerce have made it so
that consumers not only find information about products and events around the
globe, they also can purchase them (through internationally accessible websites) and
experience them (through media such as YouTube). This has given rise to a global con-
sumer culture, in which people around the world are united by their common devotion
to brand-name consumer goods, movie stars, and celebrities.17 For example, football
star Messi, who plays for FC Barcelona, is now a spokesperson for Huawei products
around the world.
We owe much of this interconnectedness to developments in technology that
allow us to link with companies—and with each other—regardless of our physi-
cal location. U-commerce is the use of ubiquitous networks, whether in the form of
 Chapter 1 An Introduction to Consumer Behaviour 11

Huawei, like many brands, uses

well-known celebrities as their
spokesperson.
James Brunker / Alamy Stock Photo

wearable technology or customized advertisements beamed to us on our cell

phones (“Hey, you’re walking by McDonald’s. Come on in for today’s burger spe-
cial”), that enable real-time connections in business and consumption
behaviour.18
The rise of global marketing means that even smaller companies are looking to
expand overseas—and this increases the pressure to understand how customers in
other countries are the same as or different from the customers in the host country. In
the restaurant industry, for example, Shakey’s pizza restaurants are mushrooming in
the Philippines, and food from the International House of Pancakes is selling like
­hotcakes in Tokyo.

Virtual Consumption
Electronic marketing increases convenience by breaking down many of the barriers
caused by time and location. You can shop 24 hours a day without leaving home and
you can find a product online at an e-tailer in another country and order it for
­delivery—whether you are at home or somewhere else around the globe.
And it’s not all about businesses selling to consumers (B2C commerce). In addi-
tion, virtual consumption has greatly facilitated consumer-to-consumer activity (C2C
commerce). Just as e-consumers are not limited to local retail outlets in their shopping,
they are not limited to their local communities when looking for friends. An excellent
example of this is the e-commerce website Etsy, where consumers can market their
products, from jewellery to baby toys, to other consumers.
Picture a small group of local collectors who meet once a month at a local diner
to discuss their shared interests over coffee. Now multiply that group by thousands,
and include people from all over the world with a shared passion for sports memora-
bilia, Pokemon, Harley-Davidson motorcycles, refrigerator magnets, or massively
multi-player online games (MMOGs) such as League of Legends. These are examples of
virtual brand communities. League of Legends alone has 27 million people playing
each day.19
The Web also provides an easy way for consumers around the world to
exchange information about their experiences. Sites like Yelp.com, Amazon.com, and
RateMyProfessors.com enable consumers to share their thoughts and feelings on
everything from restaurants, to books, to the professor they had last semester.
Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
The Project Gutenberg eBook of
Henkivakuutusherroja
This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States
and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no
restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it
under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this
ebook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the
United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where
you are located before using this eBook.

Title: Henkivakuutusherroja
Romaani

Author: Veikko Korhonen

Release date: October 21, 2023 [eBook #71925]

Language: Finnish

Original publication: Jyväskylä: K. J. Gummerus Oy, 1916

Credits: Juhani Kärkkäinen and Tapio Riikonen

*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK

HENKIVAKUUTUSHERROJA ***
HENKIVAKUUTUSHERROJA

Romaani

Kirj.

VEIKKO KORHONEN

Jyväskylässä, K. J. Gummerus Osakeyhtiö, 1916.

I

Jeremias Kantele, entinen kansakoulun opettaja harppaa pitkin

askelin muuanna kevätiltana Aleksanterilla. Hänen kätensä ovat
työnnettyinä syvälle päällystakin taskuihin ja katse on suunnattu
johonkin epämääräiseen pisteeseen kaukana kadun päässä, joten
hän yhtämittaa törmää yhteen vastaan tulijoitten kanssa.

Jeremias Kantele on aamupäivällä saapunut pääkaupunkiin

henkisesti ja ruumiillisesti ylenmäärin kiusaantuneena. Hän on
toiminut täsmälleen vuoden henkivakuutusasiamiehenä
Korvenhonka yhtiössä ja siitä saanut juuri sen verran tuloja, että on
hengissä pysynyt. Mutta vakuutusagentilla täytyy olla moitteeton
puku, kiiltonahkakengät ja knalli, ja niihin ylellisyystavaroihin eivät
Kanteleen tulot ole riittäneet. Vatsakin on viimeaikoina pyrkinyt
painumaan selkärankaa vasten.

Nyt on hänen päähänsä iskenyt ajatus pyytää ylennystä virassaan,

ja siinä toivossa on hän haalinut kokoon rahat Helsingin matkaa
varten. Hikoiltuaan yhtiönsä toimitusjohtajan huoneessa puoli päivää
on hän saanutkin pyytämänsä ylennyksen, vieläpä paremmilla
palkkaeduilla, kuin olisi voinut toivoakaan. Uuden uutukainen
viisisatanen taskussaan on hän lähtenyt rakkaan yhtiönsä
toimitusjohtajan huoneesta ja kiertelee nyt suuren onnensa
huumeissa pitkin katuja ilman erikoista päämäärää.

— Ai perhana!

Taaskin sattui yhteentörmäys ja Kantele katsahti tällä kertaa oikein

onnettomuustoveriaan, joka piteli leukaansa sadatellen.

— No, eikö se ole Varsala? Päivää!

— Ka, sinä lempoko siinä. Kun kulkee kuin lehmä kadulla, alkoi
Varsala purkaa sisuaan.

— Mihin sinä menet ja mistä tulet? kysyi hän kohta hieman

lauhtuneemmin
Kanteleelta, joka oli pyörähtänyt kävelemään hänen rinnalleen.

— Tulen suoraan yhtiöni toimitusjohtajan luota, ilmoitti Kantele.

— Varmaankin saamasta nuhteita huonosta hankinnasta, arveli

Varsala.

— Etpäs nyt arvannutkaan.

Kantele löi näppiä ja jatkoi.

— Sain virkaylennyksen. Minä olen nyt »herra tarkastaja» niin kuin

sinäkin.

— Älä.

— No niin. Ja eikö liene palkkakin yhtä suuri kuin sinulla?

Viisisataa kuussa ja tantiemiä. Kantele löi uudelleen näppiä, tällä
kertaa aivan Varsalan nenän edessä jatkaen riemastuneena.
 — Loppui vihdoinkin se ainainen kituminen. Pitikin jo kulkea vatsa
hoikkana kuin kulkukoiralla, ja vaatteetkin alkoivat riippua riekaleina.
Vielä tänä aamuna olivat ajatukset synkeitä kuin yö, kun näin, miten
toiset tulivat tyytyväisinä ruokapaikoista, eikä itselläni ollut taskussa
kuin pari kuparikolikkaa. Mutta nyt… katsos…

Ja Kantele veti setelin povestaan ja näytti Varsalalle.

— Kas poikaa, kun ihan jo suuria rahoja näyttelee. Sinä sait

ennakkoa?

— Sain, Toimitusjohtaja antoi hienoja huomautuksia minun

ulkoasustani. Ja eihän tämä loistava olekaan, vaikka päällystakilla
itse asiassa on toinen omistaja. Huomautin hänelle yhtä hienosti,
että matti on hiipinyt taskuuni. Ja niinpä tuo kultainen mies nosti
minut silmänräpäyksessä liejusta, johon olin painumassa. Mutta
minun pitäisi saada ruokaa. Näes, tänään en ole vielä syönyt
muonaakaan. Mennäänpä Cataniin.

— Taitaa olla parasta mennä viivyttelemättä johonkin minun

ruokapaikoistani: Ala-Kämppiin tahi Oopperakellariin, virkkoi Varsala
merkitsevästi, antaen toisen näin tietää, että hän ei ainakaan nähnyt
nälkää silloin, kun sattui pyörähtämään pääkaupungissa.

He menivät Oopperakellariin ja saivat haltuunsa pöydän. Varsala

sytytti sikaarinsa ja virkkoi, vedettyään muutamia perinpohjaisia
savuja ja hetken niistä nautittuaan.

— Vai pääsi poika ylenemään. No, nythän sinä saat tuntea, miten
ihanaa on olla henkivakuutusherrana. Useimmiten toiset tekevät
työn, ja me saamme niittää sadon, ainakin mitä tantiemiin tulee.
Meidän on tosin pidettävä huoli kilpailusta ja siitä, että asiamiehet,
joille varsinainen työnteko kuuluu, eivät pääse laiskottelemaan,
mutta sehän tehtävä onkin kaikkein helpoimpia. Ja ajatteles, ethän
sinä enemmän kuin minäkään, tullessani Leimausyhtiön
palvelukseen ole suorittanut mitään tutkintoja tällä alalla, ainoastaan
ovelasti päättänyt muutamia tukkikauppoja maalaisten kanssa. Niistä
minut napattiin tähän toimeen. Huomasivat kai, että minussa on
liikeneroa ja että osaan olla ovela. Ja hyvin minä olen
menestynytkin, osaan herättää ihmisissä, varsinkin maalaisissa
luottamusta. Sen vaikuttaa ulkoasuni. Minä näes en komeile
vaatteilla. Olen sattunut usein toisten yhtiöitten samaan luokkaan
kuuluvien virkamiesten kanssa samaan aikaan hankinnalle ja tullut
huomaamaan, että kovin koreaa herrasmiestä katsellaan kansan
seassa hiukan sekavin tuntein. Minulla on siitä tuoreita esimerkkejä.
Viime viikolla yövyin erääseen taloon, jossa hieroin kymmenen
tuhannen vakuutusta, jota oli samana päivänä kärttänyt sinullekin
hyvin tunnettu Rientoyhtiön Keikaus. Kuulin miten isäntä arveli
emännälleen: — Tuo näyttää oikealta mieheltä! Se Keikaus oli niin
hieno mies ja isovatsainen. Taitaa syödä vakuutettaviensa varoja.
Mitäs, jos ottaisimmekin vakuutuksen Leimaus yhtiössä. Ja aamulla
se vakuutus päätettiin.

Kantele aukoili suutaan keskeyttääkseen puhetoverinsa

sanatulvan, sillä hänkin olisi tahtonut suuren riemunsa vallassa
sanoa jonkun sanan, vaan Varsala jatkoi.

— Kun sinäkin olet nyt ylennetty meidän joukkoomme, niin muista,

ettet kovin rupee koreilemaan, vaan pysyt alavana ja vertaisena
isäntien kanssa, ja saat nähdä, että sinua vetelee silloin kaikkein
parhaiten. Täytyyhän meidän itsemme kumminkin tehdä niitä
suurempia vakuutuksia ja muokata maata asiamiehille.
 — Sinä olet viisas mies, virkkoi Kantele ahmien ruoka-annostaan.

— Jaa. Sinäpä sen sanoit. Sitä niinä juuri olen. Ja jonkunverran

täytyy meissä kaikissa viisautta olla, jos mieli jotain saada aikaan.
Vaikkapa se viisaus meissä ilmeneekin niin sanottuna oveluutena,
niin joka tapauksessa sitä täytyy meissä olla vieläpä niin, että se on
huomattavissa jo päältä päin, sillä muutoin emme tähän asemaan
koskaan pääse kohoamaankaan. — Mutta, veli hyvä, tarvitaan tässä
toimessa muutakin ei vain neroutta, jota minun mielestäni kaivataan
kaikista vähimmin. Vakuutusherrana onnistuu minun mielestäni
parhaiten se, joka on jo syntyessään jonkun verran säikähtänyt. Vai
mitä?

— Jospa se lienee niin kuin sanot. Mutta mitä muuta sanoisit vielä
ihmisiä piinatessa tarvittavan?

— Tietysti häikäilemättömyyttä, oikein kouraan tuntuvaa. Täytyy

uskaltaa puhua asioista yhtä hyvin kerskalle valtiomiehelle kuin
vaikkapa villille ihmissyöjälle, eikä saa päästää uhria kynsistään,
ennen kuin on saanut hänet antautumaan.

— Et sinä ole hulluimpia vakuutusmiehiä, voit vielä tähtenä loistaa

joukossamme, virkkoi Varsala.

Virkaveljet laskeutuivat kadulle, jossa virtaili yleisöä soittoa

kuunnellen, Hetken kuluttua virkkoi Kantele Varsalalle.

— Tällä hetkellä minä voisin syleillä vaikka koko maailmaa. Eilen

illalla minulla oli taskussa kaksikymmentä penniä, ja nyt siellä on
seteli, jonka moista en ennen eläessäni ole omistanut Ja sitten se
suuri vapaus! Saa mennä mihin tahtoo, olla missä tahtoo. Saa syödä
joka päivä vatsansa täyteen ja vedellä makeita unia talojen
parhaimmissa kamareissa.

— Johan sinä innostut ennen iltaa, virkkoi Varsala. Jos tänään

juhlisimmekin sinun kunniaksesi, niin luulen ihmisen vasta puoliyön
tienoissa olevan valmiina syleilemään vaikka koko maailmaa. Mitä
taas tuohon elämän ylistykseesi tulee, niin onpa
henkivakuutusmiehellä vastuksiakin. Saa joskus varoa nahkaansa,
ja selkäsauna on toisinaan hyvin lähellä. Mutta yleensä on meidän
työmme helpon puoleista. Ja kukapa työn keveydestä voisi
nauttiakaan, jos ei saisi joskus olla kiipelissä. Tunnen tämän alan
jokseenkin täydellisesti. Olen kaksi vuotta rämpinyt Suomen
sydänmaita, ja kokenut siellä joskus karvastakin, vaikka tosin
makeampi puoli on useimmiten ollut minun osakseni suotu.

— Tästä puolin ne alkavat makean leivän päivät minullekin.

Varsala naurahti.

— Samoin kuin pahatkin päivät. Mutta kun selkäsaunan

saadessasi puret hammasta ja ajattelut, että tämä on
ylenmääräisestä tungettelevaisuudesta täysin ansaittua, niin hyvin
se menee.

Ystävykset pyörähtivät Prinsess’iin. Siellä oli Kanteleen

virkaylennys saapa juhlallisen vahvistuksen illan kuluessa.
II

Toukokuun päivä paistoi lämpimästi Kuivalan väen tupaan. Isäntä

kellotti sängyssään selällään koettaen saada unen päästä kiinni,
vaan siinä puuhassa häiritsivät häntä kärpäset, joita tänä keväänä oli
ilmestynyt ihmeteltävän aikaiseen. Ja ihmeellistä kyllä, ahdistelivat
ne pääasiassa vain isäntää ja talon vanhaa luppakorvakoiraa.
Ehkäpä syynä siihen oli se, että isäntä ja koira olivat talon asukkaista
laiskimmat.

Tuvasta oli emäntä poistunut taloustoimiinsa, piiat ja rengit

menneet pelloille. Isäntä oli päättänyt paneutua nukkumaan,
koskapa sattui hyvä tilaisuus, ja sitä varten ajanut lapset luudan
vartta heilutellen ulos tuvasta ja vielä pihastakin kartanon taakse.

Juuri kun isäntä oli pääsemässä uneen, astui tupaan Kantele,

Honkayhtiön uusi tarkastaja yhtä uuden eli vasta leivotun
asiamiehen
Alitalon Villen kanssa toivotellen hyvää päivää.

— Antakoon, murahti isäntä sängystä ja antoi silmäluomiensa

painua kiinni.

— Tuoko se on isäntä? kysyi Kantele Villeltä.

 — Se.

— Taitaa olla hyväluontoinen mies?

— No ei se ole pahimpiakaan. Onpahan semmoinen laiska mies,

totesi
Ville.

— Sitä on sitten sen mukaan lähestyttävä, neuvoi Kantele uutta

asiamiestä.

— Jaa, virkkoi Ville kunnioittavasti.

— No hyvinkö se nukuttaa, kysyi Kantele isännältä.

— Häh?

— Että hyvinkö se nukuttaa, uudisti kysyjä.

— Eihän tuo nyt oikein… On se välistä paremminkin…

— Onhan se ihanata, kun on ihmisellä hyvä unenlahja, virkkoi

Kantele.

Isäntä käsitti tämän pilan teoksi hänen makailuistaan ja korjaten

asentoaan sanoi:

— Omaa aikaanipa tässä makailen. Ei sen luulisi ketään

liikuttavan.

— Isäntä käsitti minut väärin, alkoi Kantele selitellä. Minä päin

vastoin tarkoitin, että unen lahja on hyvä olemassa ihmisellä.
 — Jaa, virkkoi isäntä vähän leppyneemmin ja aikoi kohta
kuorsahdella.

Kanteleen sisua alkoi kaivella moinen välinpitämättömyys isännän

puolelta, ja hän kysyi Villeltä otsa kurtussa.

— Enpä luule tässä talossa mitään tulevan. Eikähän tässä ole

ihmisiäkään muuta kuin tuo laiska isäntä.

— Kyllä tässä on väkirikas talo, mutta ovat ulkotöissä, selitti Ville.

Pitäisi tästä minun tietääkseni saada vakuutus. Leimauksen miehet
olivat käyneet joku päivä sitten ja olivat kehuneet tästä saavansa
ison vakuutuksen.

— Ahaa. Varsala se sitten on käynyt. Täällä onkin siis raudat

kuumana. Nyt taotaan pojat Mutta meidän pitäisi saada ruokaa.
Missä lienee emäntä?

— Näkyi se äsken liikkuvan tuolla ulkona…

Ville meni etsimään emäntää. Isäntä kuorsahteli jo niin että seinät

tärisivät, väliin muodostellen omituisia sihiseviä kurkkuääniä, jotka
kiusasivat ylen määrin Kanteletta.

— Perhanan ukko, kun ei välitä mitään vieraista. Se on sitä

talonpoikais-moukkamaisuutta, joka ei välitä, vaikka kuvernööri
taloon tulisi, vaan jatkaa inhoittavaa soitteluaan.

Emäntä löytyi sikolätistä ja tuli Villen kanssa tupaan, pyyhki

kätensä esiliinaan ja tervehti vierasta.

— Mitä sitä kuuluu? kysyi.

 — Eipähän tuota erikoisempaa, murahti Kantele, jota kyllästytti
semmoinen kyseleminen.

— En minä tunne tätä vierasta, jos lienee vaikka oman pitäjän

herroja, arveli emäntä.

— Ei tämä tästä pitäjästä… Tämä on Honkayhtiön tarkastaja,

selitti
Ville.

Emäntä vähän sävähti.

— Ja minä tässä vaan kaikenlaisia kyselen. Lähtekää vieraat

tuonne kamariin istumaan. Tuo ukkokin tuossa niin kuorsaa. Taitaisi
se kamari olla viileämpikin.

— Kyllä me täälläkin voidaan istua. Jos emäntä laittaisi sinne

kamariin meille ensin päivällistä.

— Eikö vieraat ole vielä sitäkään saaneet, hätääntyi emäntä ja

meni etsimään tyttäriään, jotka kohta ilmestyivätkin ruokapuuhiin,
kun ensin olivat saaneet pukeutuneiksi pyhävaatteisiinsa.

— Mitenkähän tuon isännän saisi ylös, virkkoi Kantele emännälle,

joka pistäytyi tupaan.

— Niinhän tuo raato äityi taas makaamaan.

Emäntä kävi tönimään aviotaan kylkeen.

— Nousetko siitä, retvana. No, kuuletko… kun on tullut vieraita ja

sinä syntinen vain makaat.

Ja vähän hiljemmin silmiään aukovan isännän korvaan:

 — Mikä lienee tarkastaja… jos lienee kuin iso herra.

— Häh?

— Että nouse nyt

— Nousenhan minä.

Ja isäntä vääntyi vaivaloisesti istumaan. Kopeloi sängyn laidan

alta tupakkavehkeet esiin ja alkoi latailla piippuaan. — Kovinpa se
nyt painostaakin. Eikö tulle ukonjyry, arveli isäntä haukotellen.

Kantele siirtyi lähemmä istumaan ja koetti rakentaa keskustelua.

— Tuleeko se nyt minkälainen heinävuosi? kysyi.

— Mistäpä tuon nyt vielä tietää, jurahti hetken perästä isäntä.

— Tässä näyttää olevan iso talo ja hyvämainen, aloitteli Kantele

— ja rakennuksetkin on erittäin hyvässä kunnossa. Tekee oikein
hyvää tulla tämmöiseen taloon, jossa on kaikki paikat reilassa.
Näkee heti, että talossa on järjestystä.

— Mistä päin sitä liikutaan? kysyi isäntä jo virkistyneenä,

— Tämä on Honkayhtiön tarkastaja, kiirehti Ville selittämään.

Tulemme sieltä meiltä viimeksi.

— Millä asioilla sitä liikutaan? kysyi isäntä, joka ei nähtävästi

muistanut sen nimistä yhtiötä.

— Olemme henkivakuutuksia päättämässä, ilmoitti Kantele. Tämä

naapurin mies tuli nyt tänne teidän kylälle asiamieheksi, ja minä
päätin lähteä häntä vähän opastamaan. Joko se on isännällä
henkivakuutus?

— Eipä sitä vielä…

— No nythän sopisi kuulla näitä meidän yhtiön ehtoja ja etuja,

jotka on jo nykyään tunnustettu parhaimmiksi, selitteli Kantele.
Kuulin, että täällä ovat käyneet Leimausyhtiön miehet tarjoamassa
vakuutusta; vaan eiköhän tuota nyt sentään näin ison talon isännälle
päätettäisi suuremmassa yhtiössä, ja kun ne ehdotkin ovat
paremmat.

— Kävihän niitä Leimauksen herroja täällä kiusaamassa.

— Minkälaista vakuutusta ne isännälle tarjosivat?

— En tuota tullut tarkemmin kuunnelleeksi, jurahti isäntä.

Kantele kaivoi taskustaan taulukon ja kysyi.

— Joko isäntä on vanha?

Isäntä vilkaisi syrjäkatsein vieraisiin.

— Joko ne peijoonit taas sitä ikää tutkii, mietti, mutta ääneen

virkkoi.

— Johan se viideskymmen lienee menossa.

— Jokohan tuo missä asti?

Emäntä joutui selittämään.

 — Se täyttää neljäkymmentäkolme vuotta siinä Marjanpäivän
aikana.

Sitäkö henkivakuutusta se tämäkin herra on tarjoomassa?

Saisihan se ukko siihen vakuuteen ruveta, vaan sepä onkin
semmoinen pässinpää, ettei uskalla. Pelkää rahojensa menevän sitä
tietään.

— Älähän tuossa taas, kivahti isäntä. — Se on tuo meidän akka

aina suuna ja päänä.

— Emäntä ymmärtää vakuutuksen merkityksen, ja ymmärtää sen

isäntäkin, kun vaan tekee kerran ratkaisevan päätöksen. Meidän
yhtiö antaa suurimman varmuuden vakuutetuille.

— Ottaisihan sen vakuutuksen, mutta sattuisi vielä tässä

kuolemaan, ja leski pääsisi reuhaamaan niillä rahoilla. Menisi vielä
uusiin naimisiin ja naureksien nauttisivat mitä toinen on säästänyt,
arveli isäntä.

— Tuosta sen kuulette vieraat, minkälainen vätys se on. Pelkää

perillistensä rikastuvan. Ottaisit vain sen vakuutuksen.

— Menehän tuosta, murahti isäntä ja kellahti uudelleen sänkyyn.

— Täällä olisi ruokaa vieraille, ilmoitti emäntä.

Kantele kumminkaan ei joutanut nyt ajattelemankaan ruokaa.

Hänestä näytti hyvin mahdolliselta vakuutuksen päättäminen, ja
selitettyhän yhtiönsä etuja kävi hän sängyn viereen, jossa isäntä
silmät puoliummessa veteli haikuja piipustaan, ja virkkoi:

— Mutta ajatelkaapas, jos kuolema tulee kuinka pian.

 — Kun tulee, niin tulee. Mitäpä hänestä…

— Ette siis ajattele lastenne tulevaisuutta.

— Tottapahan eteensä katsovat. Ja jäähän tästä vähän tätäkin

taloriekaletta.

— Kyllä jää. Komia talo jääkin, vaan olisihan se kymmenen tuhatta

lisänä.

— Mitäpä ne niin suurilla rahoilla.

Isäntä alkoi kuorsahteiemaan.

— Miettikäähän asiata tarkemmin, kehoitteli Kantele.

— Joo… puh… huu…

Isäntä kuorsaili jo harvassa tempossa, ja Kantele meni Villen

kanssa kamariin.

— Tässä ei nyt ehditty laittamaan oikein herroiksi, selitteli emäntä.

Olisihan sitä osattu laittaa, kun meidän Hanna on käynyt
keittokoulunkin, Joko sitä herroilla on rouvaa?

— Ei ole.

— Vai ei. Ovatpahan malttaneet olla, ihmetteli emäntä ovessa

mennessään.

— Koko pöljä sentään tuo isäntä, murisi Kantele. Luulin jo

vakuutuksen päättyvän, vaan ukolla ei ole nähtävästi mitään muuta
harrastusta, kuin että saa vahvasti kuorsata.
 Ville oli käynyt talon palvelusväelle puhumassa Honkayhtiön
suurista eduista ja kuullut, että Pörjönen, Djefvulsund yhtiön
tarkastaja oli käynyt asiamiehineen naapuritalossa ja vakuuttanut
siellä palvelijat ja myöskin Kuivalan rengin. Kuulemansa uutisen
kertoi hän Kanteleelle, joka tästä vimmastui.

— Mikä pahuuksen Pörjönen se on, joka käy noin vain nenän

edestä nappaamassa vakuutukset, ja me saamme nuolla
näppiämme. Nähtävästi siitä yhtiöstä koituu meille vaarallinen
kilpailija.

— Heillä on syöttinä se työkyvyttömyysvakuutus, tiesi Ville. Tässä

Honkayhtiössä ei taida sitä ollakkaan?

— Se on tarpeeton. Sen nojalla saavat vain kantaa korkeammat

vuosimaksut. Voihan se vastaisuudessa tulla meidänkin yhtiöömme,
vaan siihen mennessä täytyy nyt Villenkin muistaa leimata se
kokonaan keinotteluksi. Ymmärtääkö Ville?

— Kyllä.

— Ja aina pitää muistuttaa vakuutettaville, että Honkayhtiö on

vakavaraisin, neuvoi Kantele.

— Samaa ne kuuluu väittävän Riento yhtiönkin miehet, kertoi Ville.

— Jaa, mutta se pitää leimata heti valheeksi.

Henkivakuutusasiamiehen täytyy osata tarpeen tullen valehdella ja
osata näyttää, että kilpailevan yhtiön mies on pannut omiansa.
Hyvän asian edesauttamiseksi on lupa käyttää valhettakin. Ja kansa
ei usko vakuutuksen hyviä etuja, jollei niitä tuntuvassa määrässä
lisäillä.