CONSUMERISM AND MARKETING

Consumerism and Marketing Implications

Fit between Marketing Techniques and Consumerism






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Table of Contents

Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 3
Consumerism .............................................................................................................................. 4
AIIects oI Consumerism on Society ............................................................................................ 4
Consumer Culture ....................................................................................................................... 5
Marketing and Consumerism ...................................................................................................... 5
ReIerences .................................................................................................................................. 7



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ntroduction

Today the markets are driven by the consumers alone. The products and services oIIered by the
companies are consumer centric and the success oI which is highly dependent on the choice and
preIerences oI consumers. Due to this Iact, many companies are trying to bring the right set oI
products and services with premium oIIerings to their consumers to attract their social
disposition oI purchasing and satisIaction oI their urge related to social status Iactor.
This study was mainly based on topic oI consumerism and its role in the today`s market scenario.
This study also tried to explore how the consumer culture and consumerism impacts the
marketing techniques oI the companies today.
On the basis oI the study Iindings, the implications Ior the marketers were identiIied so that they
can market their products more aggressively to attract and retain the consumers.

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Consumerism
There are several deIinitions oI consumerism based on its nature at various domains. CMA
(2011) deIined consumerism as a social and economic activity which explains that markets are
shaped by the needs and wants oI the consumers. It not only includes the choice oI consumers
about what they want to buy or not, it also answers to the questions regarding their Iundamental
rights including the consumer right to choose, their right to be saIe, their right to be inIormed etc.
This phenomena date backs to the early civilizations which is so Ilexible that it continued to
evolve and shape itselI to the modern market requirements.
This concept tries to explain the consumer inclinations towards the market oIIerings oI various
products and/or services and brands which is shaped by what consumers considers as their status
symbol etc. this can be better understood with the help oI an example. II a car manuIacturing
company markets its products as luxury good items to its targeted customers, the customers will
buy it to satisIy their urge oI status consciousness. This concept oI consumerism can only
Ilourish with proper marketing techniques to create awareness and draw attention, about diIIerent
products and brands, to particular group oI consumers. This term is oIten cited with the criticism
oI various researchers based on their studies regarding globalization, during the rise oI newly
emergent class oI middle class people at the end oI twentieth century (Veblen, 1899).
The consumer practices and choice oI selecting products and brands over others depends on their
backgrounds or their cultures. In order to understand the term consumerism, it is important to
understand what consumer culture is and how it impacts their buying behavior.
Affects of Consumerism on Society
The people, in consumerism, tends to engage in the chronic purchase oI new goods and services
without actually realizing the true need, use, durability, origin and the consequence oI it on the
environment. It is driven by attractive and highly spent advertisements which are designed to
create awareness and inculcate the sense oI desire among the people to Iollow the latest trends oI
market. It ends on materialism which is based on the selI award oI the products and brands on
their acquisition (Verdant, 2011).
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It also interIeres with the economic cycle oI society by replacing the normal desire oI liIe`s
necessities, community and Iamily liIe, etc. with the insatiable quest Ior obtaining things and
money to purchase luxuries which are not durable and long lasting.
Consumer Culture
Any culture that represents high scores or ratings oI consumerism is said to be a consumer
culture. Holt (2002) explained that the consumption oI the commodities produced in the markets
and the symbols that induces the desire oI purchasing is dependent highly on the consumer
culture. This system is highly dependent on the Iree will and personal choice oI the people in the
sphere oI every day liIe.
This term consumer culture is linked to varying conceptualizations oI other terms which might
include images, commercially designed and produced texts, objects that are used by the groups
which represent the collective sense oI their living standards, environments, identities, member
orientation, experiences, and lives etc. (Kozinents, 2001). These means are used and negotiated
by the consumers at varying stances and in particular social scenarios and in relationships as
well. According to the research on this topic, consumer culture describes a deep web oI
networking oI global connections where local cultures are interpreted and penetrated by these
Iorces oI trans-nationalization and the global media-scape (Appadurai, 1990; Slater, 1997; Wilk,
1995).
The theories oI consumer culture conceptualize the term culture as a mode oI experience, action
and meaning (Geertz, 1983). Based on its internal Iacts and complexity, the consumer culture
does not determine the actions oI people as causal reactions. Both the consumer culture and the
market ideology it oIIers links the consumers to the conceivable Irame oI actions, Ieelings,
experiences, thoughts, and diIIerent behavioral patterns and sensory interpretations that makes
sense than others (Askegaard & Kjeldgaard, 2002; Holt, 1997; Kozinets, 2002; Thompson &
Hirschman, 1995).
Marketing and Consumerism
Various researchers have in the deIense oI marketing management quoted their studies to explain
the linkage between the marketing eIIorts and the consumerism. According to the psychological
(Kasser & Rayan, 1993, 1996, 2001; McHoskey, 1999; Sheldon and Kasser, 1995, 1998, 2001;
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Carver and Baird, 1998; Srivastava et al., 2001; Roberts and Robins, 2000; Cohen and Cohen,
1996) and other researches (Kasser, 2002), there is a clear and consistent diIIerence between the
marketing eIIorts and the people who Iocus on the materialistic values only. These materialistic
people give low value to the personal well being and the psychological health as compared to the
people who value lower to the materialistic pursuits (see Kasser & Kanner, 2003).
O`Shaughnessy and O`Shaughnessy (2002) deIended marketing with a claim that consumerism
already existed beIore the marketing techniques became popular. It is hard to Iind the evidence
supporting this claim. Sterns (2001) noted the rise and increase oI sophisticated marketing
techniques and consumerism in his research. According to him these two phenomenons can be
tracked side by side over the last three centuries with the emergence oI consumer culture and
development oI marketing methods and channels.
There exists possibility that the claim presented by O`Shaughnessy and O`Shaughnessy (2002)
and others (e.g. Thurow, 1981; Twitchell, 2000) about the 'tendency to materialism is part oI the
human condition, and that as widespread material prosperity arose, it permitted the emergence oI
both marketing activity and consumerist behavior simultaneously is true.
The claim oI researchers about marketing not causing consumerism because consumerism
already existed beIore marketing is inadequate. The only possibility oI this tendency is that the
humans tend to have materialistic behavior which exists in them. Whenever we are given an
opportunity to exhibit this behavior we Iind it hard to ignore.
Ethical consumerism is required by the marketers to attract and impact their consumers. Ethical
consumerism involves the ethical and intentional purchase oI products and services by the
customers with minimal harm to the environment or less exploitation to the humans, animals etc.
It is also known as positive buying behavior oI the consumers. The marketing techniques aimed
at the targeted people must not include the desire oI getting the product in order to satisIy their
materialistic approach towards liIe.


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