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A Guide to Consumerism
What is it, where did it come from, and where is it going?
T
he term consumerism President Kennedy's efforts to establish are a part of the "dark side of the market-
appears to be uniquely asso- the rights of consumers: to safety, to be place," as well as dangers to health and
ciated with the past decade. informed, to choose, and to be heard. safety from voluntary use ofn product.
Even in this short period, it The most common understanding of There is substantial agreement in principle
has undergone a number of consumerism is in reference to the widen- between business and consumer spokes-
changes in meaning. Vance Packard, one ing range of activities of government, men that such abuses must be prevented,
of the earliest adopters of the term, linked business, and independent organizations but there is often a wide divergence of
consumerism with strategies for persuad- that are designed to protect individuals opinion on the extent of the problem. As a
ing consumers to quickly expand their from practices (of both business and gov- result the government has taken the initia-
needs and wants by making them "vora- ernment) that infringe upon their rights as tive in this area, usually after the divul-
cious, compulsive [and wasteful]." His consumers. gence of a sensational abuse. This has
usage clearly reflected the concerns of This view of consumerism emphasizes been the case with much of the legislation
the '50s, with planned obsolescence, the direct relationship between the indi- dealing with drug, tire, auto, and pipeline
declining quality, and poor service in sat- vidual consumer and the business firm. safety, and meat and fish inspection. Even
urated consumer goods markets. Because it is an evolving concept, there is so, this is the least controversial and oldest
The term was not put to wider use no accepted list of the various facets of aspect of consumerism.
until 1963 or 1964, when a variety of this relationship. The following is repre-
commentators identified it with the very sentative: Provision of adequate information. The
visible concerns triggered indirectly by concern here is with the economic inter-
Rachel Carson, and directly by Ralph Protection against clear-cut abuses. This ests of the consumer. The question is
Nader's auto safety investigations and encompasses outright fraud and deceit that whether the right to information goes
beyond the right not to be deceived, to
include the provision of performance
information that will ensure a wise pur-
EXECUTiVE BRIEFING chase. Much of the controversy and con-
fusion over consumerism revolves around
this basic issue. The two polar positions
'n each issue of MARKETING MANAGEMENT we reprint an edit- identified by Bauer and Greyser are the
/ ed version of an article from one of our sister publications. This business view that the buyer should be
article, from the July 1970 issue of the Journal of Marketing, deals guided by his judgment of the manufac-
with consumerism. Day is currently at the University of Pennsylva- turer's reputation and the quality of the
nia's Wharton School, and Aaker is at the University of California, brand vs. the view of the consumer
Berkeley. "Consumer discontent is still simmering under the sur- spokesmen that information should be
face," they told MM, "but the expectations of the public about the provided by impartial sources and reveal
value of government interventions have changed markedly. Many performance characteristics.
high profile issues have been subsumed by environmental concerns,
so the consumerism movement is more diffused." The protection of consumers against
themselves and other consumers. Some
of the thrust behind consumerism comes
A
inequities in the economic environment environment. The problems of air, water, dditional insights come from a
and the declining quality of the physical and noise pollution have become increas- consideration of factors underly-
environment. The forecast of a greater ingly salient as the tolerance of the public ing the recent upsurge of interest
identity between these social problems for these abuses has decreased. In effect, in consumerism. It appears that increas-
and consumerism rests on the fact that a "critical mass" of explosive concern has ingly discontented and aroused con-
they are associated with many of the suddenly been created. The consumer sumers have combined with a growing
same basic causes, have common spokes- movement has rapidly rearranged its pri- number of formal and informal institu-
men, and seem to be moving in the same orities to become a part of this critical tions capable of focusing discontent, to
direction in many respects. mass. create enough pressure to overcome the