By 2020, the world could develop into a myriad of different scenarios, but there is no one scenario that can accurately represent what the US, let alone the world, will become—even in four short years. The four scenarios in “Consumer’s Futures 2020” has options that could unfold, but it is unlikely in such a short timeframe. Nevertheless, the most likely of the four-presented scenarios to me is ‘sell it to me.’ This is because the scenario allows people to keep spending and minimizes the work individuals have to put into becoming more sustainable. It also marks a more prosperous, flourishing economy that enables the option to buy more selectively the brands and products that intrigue them. Lastly, this scenario utilizes the technology that we are already hyper reliant on to generate more personalized business. Many of these aspects are already occurring to some degree, but I can see them becoming more prominent over time.
The market is currently well on the mend, with unemployment rates decreasing and overall incomes increasing; I disagree with the scenario as, contrary to scenario 3, awareness of income inequality is more mainstream and being combated. With this increasing upward mobility, consumers want to buy more and more, as many US citizens mark their prosperity on how much you can buy. Already emerging is the demand for organic foods to be sold in conventional grocery stores. People also spend a little extra to buy brands that give them the perception of wealth—like
The citizens of the United States of America are known for their strong sense of freedom. Take that freedom away, and there would be a prodigious riot that traverses across the country. However, the same freedom that Americans thrive on, are slowly poisoning the minds of the masses. Consumerism is the name; the plan is to slowly take over the population, and it has. Consumerism is both beneficial and detrimental to society, and freedom would not exist without the need people have to buy new and innovative items.
Schumaker argues that in the “modern consumer society,” the bar has been set so high that it is virtually impossible to surpass it, and further, as stated by the law of diminishing returns, if we continue on our current trajectory, we will soon find ourselves gloomier than ever.
Consumer societies appeared in the factors of modernity between the late 19th century and early 20th century during the rise of mass production around the industrial revolution and the rise in population in urban areas. People who lived in urban areas, developed industries and needed the distance to get to and from work which increased a need for mobility. A mobile society and mass transit made it practical and easier to use in the streets as form of advertisements. In a consumer society, a person come face to face with a lot of goods, which the features change all the time. Which then, products that are sold are representing tradition and heritage. Their market is continuously changing the way they advertise their
Various organizations operate in an increasingly complicated industry - more than a few different products, ample of business process and clients ranging from retailers to small business, service providers, exporters, and independent shops. The organization has identified increasingly the evolving trend in consumers and responds
Recently I heard a story about a mother and child walking through a retail store when the child says to her mother “I want those shoes!” The mother asks “Why do you want those shoes?” to which her daughter responds “Because everyone else is wearing them.” The Mother asks, “Wouldn’t you want to get something different and be more original?” and the child says “No, then I wouldn’t be original like everyone else!” Between the 1920’s and the era of World War II America saw some of its most dramatic cultural shifts since the country’s beginnings. This story of a mother and child expresses the changes that took place in the early half of the 1900’s which made a lasting effect in creating the consumer society we know today. This consumer-centered society that we know was developed by multiple shifts in the American economy and lifestyle. In this essay I will discuss how each the “Roaring Twenties,” the “Great Depression” and the World War II Era each contributed in the way of accelerating or stalling the process of creating an American consumer society.
1. What are the implications of the global baby bust for marketers of consumer goods?
Supply and demand are the rulers of price in the capitalist economy of the United States, and farm goods rely on these factors as much as any other commodity. The demand for food remains relatively stable although slightly increasing year to year, but the supply fluctuates greatly depending on
As a Generation X, Leonie’s sales funnel heavily involves research online before making a purchase, she engages with brands that she believes understand her lifestyle and who provide experiences that make her life easier. She is often engaging with her digital world via her phone rather than a PC or tablet, if a brand is not mobile friendly they are likely to lose her as she searches for something else.
‘Brave New World’ by Aldous Huxley is a science-fiction book in which people live in a future society and a place called the World State. In this book, Aldous Huxley used the definition of consumerism to describe the behaviors of the citizens of the World State. Various behaviors and conducts of the people of the World State were related to the act of consumerism and pursuing happiness from them. Generally, by consuming anything such as soma, people and knowledge, citizens of the World State sought for happiness. However, those practices of consumerism also blinded the truth among the citizens of the World State.
Some people argue that it is acceptable for people in the United States to consume at high levels because their consumerism keeps the world economy going. What are the weaknesses in this idea? Although America’s consumerism may seem to help the economy of less fortunate countries, this rampant depletion has become financially and ecologically unsustainable. Globally, 86% of consumption expenditures comes from the 20% of the world’s people in first world countries, while the poorest 20% account for only a meager 14%. It seems that consumption has become a function of our culture. Only by generating and selling goods does capitalism currently work; and the more produced and purchased the more we have progress and prosperity.
In the novel Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, happiness is directly correlated to the consumerism that is instilled in the citizens from the beginning of their lives in order to create a materialistic culture where instant gratification is the foundation of the society. From the beginning of their lives, citizens in Huxley’s society are conditioned using the process of hypnopaedia to fundamentally influence their thoughts and understanding of the world around them. Through this process, the “utopian” society has formulated a consumerist culture as there is no actual want, materials are easily acquired and viewed as disposable. As things break or falter, they are cast out, there are no reparations as made evident in a hypnopaedia rhyme tactic,
“Brave New World” is a critique of society’s growing obsession with consumerism. The theme of the book is that excessive consumerism will result in the downfall of society. People living in World State society have been conditioned to believe that they need new things in order to be happy. The soma in this passage represents these new goods and how it is used to replace happiness. Mustapha Mond describes soma as being “a holiday from the facts” which is a result of excessive consumerism.
Following the end of World War II, the American economy found its way out of depression. Wartime production aided the economy and spiked the country’s spending power. From the late 1940s, people have been accustomed to spending the money they have on everything they want and need. People then started to figure out and believe that this type of spending, consumerism, improved the economy. The items that were being bought were also different than they were before. “At war's end, the items people most desired included televisions, cars, washing machines, refrigerators, toasters, and vacuum cleaners: the machines that would help
The constantly emerging of product, price, channel and messaging or/and creative differentiators in the business atmosphere inevitably contributes towards one’s product elimination or irrelevant. In those competitive edge scenario, marketers play as the devil advocates in manipulating and provoking consumer’s mind. They’re the one who have all the vital data regarding demographic (size, income, VALs,), purchasing power parity
Consumerism is a description of society’s lifestyle in which many people embrace to achieve their goals by acquiring goods that they clearly do not need (Stearns, 7). The idea that the market is shaped by the choice of the consumers’ needs and wants can be defined as a consumer sovereignty (Goodwin, Nelson, Ackerman, Weisskopf, 2). This belief is based on the assumption that the consumer knows what it wants. Contrary to this logic, marketers convince us that the consumer does not know what they want. The consumer has to be told what they want or be persuaded by advertising items in a matter that demonstrates the reason a product makes their life easier or will improve their life instantly. As one of the most successful entrepreneurs,