We are all consumers. Unless we go and live on a desert island we cannot avoid consuming and thus playing a role in the marketing process. This section looks at the role of consumers in marketing, why and what they consume, and the various ways in which consumption is related to identity. Consumer culture plays a significant part in the creation, and reproduction of people s tastes, dreams and aspirations. The concepts of consumer co-production and satisfaction are explained. We discuss the influence of consumer sub-cultures or tribes on individuals lifestyles, possessions and values.
Consumerism is often criticized for being materialistic, with an emphasis on the value and use of physical objects over non-material pursuits such as ideas, ideals and society. Yet, paradoxically, consumer culture is more and more a visual culture, in which the consumer is bombarded with multimedia images, pictorial advertisements, sightseeing vacations, brightly lit shopping arcades, entertainment spectacles , eye-catching packaging. Much consumption is visual consumption (Schroeder, 2003); therefore, it is not just materials that are consumed, but non-material images too.
Because the consumption process is more complex than it first appears, it is useful to look at the various explanations that have been proposed in order to be able to analyse from different perspectives in any given situation what it is that is being consumed.
Materials and energy
Labour
Use or utility
Culture
Meaning and signs.
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