An “outside-the-box” exposition of the basics of consumer behavior. Offers marketers a perspective on the consumption value consumers seek from market offerings and the exchange resources they have at their command. It also presents a debate on a fundamental question: Does marketing create consumer needs (or can it)? It challenges readers to choose a side and then reflect on how it will influence their every act as a marketer. And in turn their personal satisfaction from their creative work.
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Human Pursuit of Happiness in the World of Goods MYCBBOOK.COM
Welcome to the Fascinating World of Consumers
The New Age of Consumer Empowerment
Welcome to the Consumer Age of Web 2.0
Arianna lives in Cincinnati, Ohio. Hear her
rave about her new pair of shoes!
These are no ordinary shoes. They are uniquely mine. With some priceless elements of my autobiography built into them. They are my signal to the world as to who I am. I wear them with spirit, glee, and pride. I designed them, myself!
I had been dreaming of designing my own pair of shoes for some time. So, on the afternoon of November 22, 2011, I sat down at my laptop and launched Keds.com. The Keds design tab led me step-by-step through the process of creating the shoe I wanted. I had the option of choosing the basic style and then applying my own design and paint to the upper, lower, left and right quarters, tongue, sole, lining, laces, and even eyelets. I made these choices—giving shape to my needs and my tastes.
Human Pursuit of Happiness in the World of Goods MYCBBOOK.COM
Welcome to the Fascinating World of Consumers
The age of Co-creation, personalization
On Zazzle.com, you can customize 49 products: clothing (T-shirts, hoodies, hats, etc.), accessories (ties, necklaces, bags, etc.), cards and postage, office products, home products, art posters, and cases for your iPhones, iPads, Blackberrys, and Samsung Galaxy S. Prices are reasonable (hats: $14.95; men’s ties: $29.95; greeting cards: $2.95; iPad cases: $49.95 and up, etc.), and the customized items are shipped within 24 hours!
Human Pursuit of Happiness in the World of Goods MYCBBOOK.COM
Welcome to the Fascinating World of Consumers
The age of the consumer in the driver’s seat
Get it here, get it now
Zaarly This U.S. company, launched in May 2011, is eBay in reverse. Consumers post what they want, when, and how much they are willing to pay for it. Then other consumers (as well as conventional sellers) offer to fulfill the consumers’ needs. The notable feature is the kinds and varieties of needs that you can post: baby-sitting services, a wedding singer, a chance to ride in a sports car, interior design advice, and the like. You can post your order on the Web and also on your mobile with an app; no need to tell it where you are—the “hyper-local” app already knows. Zaarly is a first, in that it is buyer-driven, and delivers in the “here and now” (e.g., want coffee delivered in an hour). The company boasts over 9.1 million posts in 200 U .S. cities (as of November 2011). And now its name is also a verb: its Web site offers a step-by-step guide, “How to Zaarly”!
Human Pursuit of Happiness in the World of Goods MYCBBOOK.COM
Welcome to the Fascinating World of Consumers
The age of empowerment
On October 1, 2011, Molly Katchpole, a 22-year old Roger Williams University student, posted a petition on Change.org against Bank of America’s proposed $5-a-month debit card fee. By the month’s end, more than 300,000 people had signed the petition. And more than 20,000 people had pledged to close their Bank of America checking accounts. On November 1, the Big Bank aborted the plan!
Human Pursuit of Happiness in the World of Goods MYCBBOOK.COM
Welcome to the Fascinating World of Consumers
Romancing the Consumer Maxwell House In July 2011, Maxwell House Canada opened its second
Optimism Café in Toronto (the first was in Montreal), giving away a free cup
of coffee throughout the month of July. As part of its Brew Some Good
campaign, it launched its Is Your Cup Half Full or Half Empty Optimism
campaign. It invited consumers to take an optimism break and post a video
clip or a letter on its Web site. Among the posted videos was this one :
A blind person sat on a sidewalk with a cardboard sign that read “I’m blind. Please help.” Passersby occasionally dropped a few small coins. Then a woman came by and wrote something on the other side of the cardboard. For the rest of the day, people came by and emptied their pockets of change. The woman had changed the sign to read: “It is a beautiful day. But I can’t see it!”