Posted: February 11th, 2022

Marketing creating hedonistic consumers

Study Bay Coursework Assignment Writing Help

Throughout the tutorial and the advertising and marketing world it’s recognised that there’s debate on what function the self-discipline of promoting performs within the creation of hedonistic consumers. Probably the most excessive debates come from those that maintain opposing views. This paper will take a look at a few of these polarised views and views in regard to client behaviour and can argue that advertising and marketing has not created hedonistic consumers that such a stance doesn’t enable for the complexities of human behaviour and motivations and doesn’t take account of the dynamic nature of client society. We agree there are associations and parallels within the growth of each consumerism and advertising and marketing however there isn’t a proof to show trigger and impact.

In response to Armstrong et al (2009, p8), needs are the shape human wants take as they’re formed by tradition and particular person character. Desires are formed by one’s society. Due to this fact, client needs usually are not formed solely by entrepreneurs. Conversely, Solomon et al (2006, p21) spotlight that advertising and marketing is usually criticised for using strategies that persuade consumers that they ‘want’ many materials items and that they are going to be sad and inferior if they don’t have these ‘requirements’. Do entrepreneurs give individuals what they need, or do they inform us what we should need?

Marketing is usually assumed to be chargeable for our client society and its hedonistic strategy to consumption, and as a consequence undermines different cultural values by selling a materialistic stance. For a lot of commentators it’s the darkish aspect of promoting and worthy of Assessment because it diminishes the advertising and marketing professions fame.

1.1 Definitions

Earlier than defining hedonistic consumption, it’s helpful to outline the philosophy of hedonism. This can be a college of thought that claims the pursuit of delight is crucial factor in life, that views man as being motivated by the will for sensual pleasures – subsequently this quest for the ‘good life’ turns into mans driving pressure.

The hedonistic client could be seen as pleasure loving or self indulgent individual with a excessive degree of consumption, extra preoccupied with their very own materials targets than pondering of the broader view of society.

Hedonistic consumption is ‘the multi-sensory, fantasy and emotional facets of consumers’ interactions with merchandise’. (Soloman, 2006, p39). This ingredient of fantasy is essential to this principle as it’s the imagined pleasure that pulls the buyer. O’Shaughnessy and O’Shaughnessy describe this as the overall settlement that client pleasure lies not a lot within the bodily sense as within the complete emotional expertise. So the pleasure and happiness is actual though the expertise could be imagined within the consumers’ mind. From a detrimental standpoint Migone, 2006 views it as a ‘extremely wasteful and discrimatory sample of consumption that predominates in present capitalist fashions’.

Hedonism and Fantasy

The function of fantasy in hedonic consumption is essential and while lecturers view it from completely different views they do agree that it performs a pivotal function in pleasure in search of. Gabriel and Lang (2006) are of the view that ‘Western consumption many agree is a realm of seduction – alluring and glamour. As items depart the world of manufacturing to enter the sphere of show, circulation and consumption, they grow to be objects of fantasy and devices of delight. While Abercrombie states that ‘lives are organised round fantasies and daydreams about consuming; they’re hedonists, primarily considering pleasure, and sensual pleasure at that’ they’re individualists, largely pursuing their very own ends and uncaring about others’.(Abercrombie, 1994, 44).

Campbell (1987) in The Romantic Ethic and the Spirit of Fashionable Consumerism described the important thing side within the creation of the hedonistic client as being one involved with the facility of the creativeness, he highlights the variations between what was thought to be the normal view of hedonism and the trendy view. He instructed that conventional model was a hedonism of a mess of pleasures, of the senses while fashionable hedonism – seeks pleasure not in sensation however in emotion accompanying every kind of experiences. The pleasure lies within the which means of the expertise to the person. That is the shape we’re coping with in postmodern tradition.

Campbell instructed that the buyer as hedonist should be capable to derive pleasure from each merchandise they arrive into contact with and every part should be oriented to that finish. That consumers are in a continuing state of unsatisfaction, an ongoing state the place we’re dreaming about one thing new nevertheless that is linked to the opposite defining issue of contemporary hedonism that disillusionment comes from the frustration when the imagined pleasure are all the time larger than the precise.

When anticipate the enjoyment and pleasure that we are going to acquire after we lastly buy and put on the brand new telephone/watch/automobile we’ve been day dreaming about shopping for, our pleasure is usually not as we imagined and is fleeting. We’ve moved on to dreaming in regards to the subsequent higher model and begin to really feel dangerous about not having it.

Consumerism good or dangerous?

Underpinning the talk on whether or not advertising and marketing has created hedonistic consumers is the view on whether or not consumerism is a constructive or detrimental pressure. Some rejoice the rise of the buyer, taking the view that consumerism is ‘the essence of the great life, client society permits us private freedom, energy and happiness by way of our capacity to decide on, purchase, use and luxuriate in our materials objects and experiences. Seen as a classy, mature particular person who seeks enjoyment in life: by making selections and exercising freedom.’ (Gabriel and Lang, 2006, p8). Others are involved that ‘consumerism is related to diminished client nicely being, partly when it comes to high quality of human relationships and ranges of happiness. That these centered on materialistic values have decrease private nicely being and psychological well being.’ (Kasser,2002).

Abela (2006) furthers this argument indicating that hedonistic consumerism ‘exhibits an affiliation between advertising and marketing observe and the harms of consumerism could also be larger than it’s usually believed to be by advertising and marketing lecturers’.

three. Claims in opposition to Marketing

An excessive amount of curiosity in materials possessions is the accountability of promoting?

Critics have argued that the advertising and marketing system encourages an excessive amount of curiosity in materials possessions. – persons are judged by what they personal not who they’re. (Armstrong et al, 2009 p.552). Critics don’t view this as a pure way of thinking however one created by advertising and marketing.

In reply to this declare many entrepreneurs would argue that this alleged capacity of promoting to create wants is wishful pondering and is overstating advertising and marketing’s scope. In help of this it follows that entrepreneurs’ are most profitable once they attraction to current needs slightly than once they try and create new ones. Additionally that individuals search data when making necessary purchases and largely don’t depend on a single supply (Gabriel and Lang, 2006).

Nonetheless, at the moment’s mania for items is learnt not instinctive in response to Naish, 2002. On a deeper degree our needs and values are influenced by many elements together with household, peer group, faith, ethnic background and schooling. If fashionable society is extremely materialistic, these values come up out of socialisation processes that go a lot deeper than enterprise and mass media may produce alone (Gabriel and Lang, 2006).

O’Shaughnessy and O’Shaughnessy (2002) argue that accumulation of fabric possessions is a consequence of wealth.

Entrepreneurs create synthetic wants?

In response to Solomon et al (2006), ‘some conservative traditionalists are of the view that promoting specifically, contributes to the ethical breakdown of society by presenting pictures of hedonistic pleasure. Conversely, leftists argue that they similar deceptive guarantees of fabric pleasure operate to purchase off individuals who would in any other case be revolutionaries working to alter the system.

O’Shaughnessy and O’Shaughnessy (2002) observe that wishes should be created and that there should be an underlying urge for food for the product within the first place.

Solomon at al conclude ‘that whereas entrepreneurs don’t create synthetic wants, they do contribute closely to the socialization of individuals in modern society and thus to the institution of the social system of wants. Consequently entrepreneurs should take a share of accountability for the event of society.’

Entrepreneurs promise miracles?

Consumers are led to consider that through promoting that merchandise have particular properties; they’ll so particular issues for them that can rework their lives. Soloman et al argues that the manipulative impact of promoting is usually overstated, nevertheless does concede that there’s little doubt that promoting creates and adjustments patterns of consumption. They provide the view that the primary have an effect on could also be that the concept that we’re outlined by our client selections is perpetuated by the promoting medium.

The impression of fantasy and imagery in influencing shopping for

O’Shaughnessy and O’Shaughnessy (2002) cite Baudrillard (1981) who instructed that as a result of new know-how of digital media we now have a world the place the excellence between ‘actual’ and pictures has grow to be blurred and consumers are seen as non-rational who gravitate to on the spot gratification. The declare is that the buyer thinks that that is the fact, nevertheless in response to O’Shaughnessy and O’Shaughnessy there isn’t a proof to substantiate the declare.

Picture saturated setting urgent consumers to purchase

The ‘sheer insistence and multiplication of promoting messages’ is proof to critics of promoting. The sum of the mass impact on consumers pushes them in a hedonistic route. Nonetheless consumers are subtle and selective, they take discover of the merchandise that attend to them. (O’Shaughnessy and O’Shaughnessy,2002).

Consumerism and Id

Many cultural forces have been accused of getting a task within the creation of hedonistic consumers – the advertising and marketing of Hollywood and Superstar tradition are named usually within the debate.

‘It’s is recognised by psychology that our capacity to weigh desirability and worth is knocked awry if the merchandise is endorsed by a well-known face. The a part of the mind concerned in belief and studying is activated and in consequence we really feel like we’re their acquaintances and we need to be like them.’ (Naish, 2008). We selected fastidiously who we copy and why and have developed to emulate probably the most profitable, possibly why many people really feel compelled to maintain up materially with celebrities.

Consumption, is it addictive?

Lasch (1991) takes a pessimistic view believing that western consumerism, sustained by mass manufacturing and celebrated within the mass media, quantities to a mechanism of dependancy.

Although Migone (2007) concedes that slightly than advertising and marketing being on the root of this dependancy: it is because of technological advances which facilitated massive scale manufacturing which in flip results in massive scale consumption.

Consumerism and lack of Neighborhood

Naish notes ‘that solely fashionable capitalist nations focus on materials greed. In pre capitalist societies the very best value’s was ascribed to issues like household, clan, faith, honour not shiny new objects’. This he says pertains to our most base instincts that are the necessity to relate to others and really feel a part of a group.

In response to Naish, man has misplaced his ethical framework, sense of group and life’s greater which means, in order that now all that continues to be is our thirst for possessions and pleasure. That being a hedonistic client doesn’t make us blissful and has a detrimental impact on our human relationships. Critics have linked this loss to advertising and marketing’s lack of deal with a lot of these human values.

In defence of Marketing

Consumerism and Wealth

The 80’s recognised a triumph for consumerism – previous ethical restraints on consumption (frugality, thrift and guilt) swept apart by a rare, credit score lead consumerist increase (Lee, 1997). Gabriel and Lang recall that greed misplaced a few of its pejorative and puritanical connotations, in reference to the 1980’s.

Consumption and Id

It has been mentioned that consumers take identification from their possessions. Consumption has expanded to fill the vacuum left by the decline of the work ethic. Bauman (1988) additionally argues that consumption is the brand new ‘pioneer frontier’ by which people might efficiently assert themselves, with no insecurity and never harming others.

Purchasing will not be merely the acquisition of issues: it’s the shopping for of identification. (Clammer,1992). That is one other view that client consumption comes from inside. Additionally the overall rise in disrupted households has been linked to new methods of forming identities by way of items – how detrimental the consequences are will depend on the underlying motives.

Human Nature

Naish believes we’re genetically programmed to all the time need extra. In prehistoric occasions its been found that cave dwellers had collections of axe handles, that ‘these have been the Jimmy Choo’s and Ferraris of their time’. Vital to notice that O’Shaughnessy and O’Shaughnessy argue that advertising and marketing & materialism are interdependent and that advertising and marketing helps precipitate materialism and materialism in society advances the event of promoting.

In response to Bauman, (1999) the most important contributing elements to hedonistic way of life are pervasive insecurity and uncertainty – concern of the longer term and the ecology of the planet; danger- risk of terrorism and wars; decline of household – breakdown of conventional institutes comparable to household as one of many fundamental cultural reference factors.

It has been argued that advertising and marketing creates hedonism by creating needs. This begs the Question Assignment can needs be created? In response to Moore (1994) materialism and hedonism weren’t invented by client advertising and marketing; they have been there earlier than its introduction. Though, it has been extensively acknowledged that consumers have latent needs that may be activated, however recognise that they’ve an awesome capacity to filter data.

Entrepreneurs usually selected hedonistic appeals, however advertising and marketing in itself is just an orientation and a set of instruments which can be worth impartial and can be utilized to proselytise any perspective. (Cook dinner, 1992).

Social commentators have famous that that pursuit of delight is man’s pure place and it goes in opposition to human nature to deprive oneself and that accumulation of fabric possessions is as a result of reality we’ve the means to indulge our needs.

Nonetheless they agree there may be an acknowledged hyperlink however no confirmed trigger and impact however that is seen as advertising and marketing being within the function of facilitator not creator.

Marketing and Economic system

Entrepreneurs have accused critics of taking the hyper actual world of promoting, promoting and desires too actually. Arguing that freedom of alternative is best for consumers and is a basic underpinning of our financial system.

Stimulus-response mannequin of purchaser behaviour

This extensively accepted mannequin of client behaviour illustrates that while advertising and marketing stimuli are necessary so are as are tradition, politics, economics and know-how. These come merge with client psychology and the person client traits. These are interlinked and conclude with a closing number of a product. This mannequin is illustrative of the truth that advertising and marketing stimulus is simply a part of the buyer behaviour course of. (Please check with appendix 1).

The Future

Western type consumerism is dealing with and creating critical threats – ecological disaster, local weather change, assets shortages and monetary uncertainties. There may be an elevated consciousness amongst lecturers and consumers of the ecological limits of consumerism and present debate is targeted on its sustainability.

Consumers are mentioned to dictate manufacturing, they gas innovation, create new social methods, drive fashionable politics – to have the facility to avoid wasting the setting and defend the way forward for the planet and but on the similar time are seen as weak and malleable creatures, simply manipulated, dependant, passive and silly. (Gabriel & Lang, 2006).

It’s recognised that there’s a want to have interaction in debate on the containment of the detrimental facets of consumerism. On the centre of the talk is the Question Assignment of social penalties and the function of promoting in creating the consumption tradition..

If we suspect that advertising and marketing is contributing to the dangerous results of consumerism what are the programs of motion entrepreneurs ought to Assessment?

Abela (2006) cites Csikszentmihalyi’s (2000) suggestion that larger transparency in regards to the results of materialism would Help. Recommends entrepreneurs undertake research for rising teams – the non consumerist client, anti consumerism teams and may monitor basic client consciousness.

So if the buyer is extra conscious of the results they may not select the trail of consumption particularly if it results in unhappiness and dissatisfaction. Elevated efforts at client schooling possibly capable of appropriate this and result in adjustments in client behaviour. One doable space of examine is to have a look at areas not affected but probably in jap cultures.

Some consider we’re on the level of a basic structural change within the nature of consumerism. Others retaining the religion out there to proper itself. Optimists consider know-how will present a solution (cleaner automobiles, recycling, vitality conservation). The result shall be a fancy dynamic between politics, manufacturing, worldwide commerce, economics & cultural and ethical values. (Abela, 2006, Gabriel & Lang, 2006, Kasser 2002).

In abstract, the primary wrongdoer behind hedonism can be the event of robust worth orientation that places unrestrained freedom to the forefront. Marketing doesn’t invent or creates needs; it merely surfaces them. Man has all the time been, in all societies materialistic. In older days poverty didn’t enable him/her to indulge into hedonistic way of life. The function of promoting in creation of hedonism, is extra of a facilitator than of an inventor. (O’Shaughnessy and O’Shaughnessy, 2002).

Conclusion

This paper has recognised that there’s debate on what function the self-discipline of promoting performs within the creation of hedonistic consumers and outlined the argument that advertising and marketing has not created hedonistic consumers, that such a stance doesn’t enable for the complexities of human behaviour and motivations and doesn’t take account of the dynamic nature of client society. We agree there are associations and parallels within the growth of each consumerism and advertising and marketing, however there isn’t a proof to show trigger and impact. Nonetheless neither is there proof to disprove.

When deciding what advertising and marketing technique an organisation ought to observe the first goal is constructing worthwhile relationships with the goal client nevertheless, the organisation has many selections in guiding their advertising and marketing technique when it comes to which philosophy ought to underpin the technique. Lots of at the moment’s massive companies make use of the advertising and marketing idea – by realizing the wants/needs of the goal market and delivering satisfaction higher than the competitors. (Armstrong et al,2009).

Primarily based on the idea that there’s a parallel within the patterns between the rise of the hedonistic client and the sophistication and depth of promoting efforts (Abela, 2006) moral entrepreneurs can be suggested to contemplate a transfer towards the Societal advertising and marketing idea – an idea that holds that advertising and marketing technique ought to ship worth in a approach that maintains or improves each the buyer and the society’s well-being (Armstrong et al, 2009, p14-15). Executed appropriately this technique would offer long run earnings and defend each society and the buyer inside this framework.

sReferences

Abela, A.V. (2006) Marketing and consumerism European Journal of Marketing Vol. 40 Number one/ 2 pp 5-16

Abercrombie, N. (1994)The Authority of the Client, Routledge, London,UK

Armstrong, G et al (2009) Marketing an Introduction, Prentice Corridor, UK

Baudrillard, J. (1981), The Critique of the Political Economic system of the Signal, tr. Levin, C., Telos Press, St Louis, MO in O’Shaughnessy,J. & O’Shaughnessy, N.J. (2002) “advertising and marketing, the buyer society and hedonism” European Journal of Marketing, Vol.36 Quantity 5/6 pp 524-547

Bauman, Z. (1988) Freedom, Open College Press, UK

Campbell, C (1987) The Romantic Ethic and the Spirit of Fashionable Consumerism, Basil Blackwell, UK

Csikzentmihalyi, M. (2000) The fee and advantages of consuming, Journal of Client Analysis, Vol.27,September, pp 267-272 in Abela, A.V. (2006) Marketing and consumerism European Journal of Marketing Vol. 40 Number one/ 2 pp 5-16

Douglas, M and Isherwood, B. (1979) The World of Items, Primary Books, US

Firat, A.F and Schultz, C.J. (1997) From Segmentation to Fragmentation: Markets and Marketing Technique within the postmodern period, European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 31, No three /four

Hirsch, F. (1977), Social Limits to Progress, Routledge & Kegan Paul, London, UK

Jantzen, C., Ostergaard, P. and Fitchett, J.A. (2004) A Historical past of Mentality based mostly Assessment of Hedonic and Experiential Comsumption, Advances in Client Analysis, Vol.31 pp 328 – 340

Gabriel, Y. and Lang, T (2006), The Unmanageable Client, 2nd Version, Sage, UK

Kagan, J. (1999) Three Seductive Concepts, Harvard College Press, US

Kasser, T. (2002),The Excessive Value of Materialism, MIT Press, Cambridge, US

Kotler, P and Keller Okay.L. (2006) Marketing Administration 12th Version, Prentice Corridor, UK

Lasch, C. (1991) The True and Solely Heaven; Progress and Its Critics, Norton New York

Lee, M.J. (1997) Client Tradition Reborn, Routledge, London

Mick, D.G (2008) Levels of Freedom of will: An important infinite Question Assignment in client behaviour, Journal of Client Psychology, Vol.18, pp17-21

Migone, A. (2006) Hedonistic Consumerism: Patterns of Consumption in Modern Capitalism, Evaluate of Radical Political Economics, Vol. 39, No 2, pp 173-200

Moore, R.L. (1994), Promoting God, Oxford College Press, New York, NY

Naish, J. (2008) Sufficient Breaking free from the world of extra, Hodder and Stoughton, UK

O’Shaughnessy,J. & O’Shaughnessy, N.J. (2002) “advertising and marketing, the buyer society and hedonism” European Journal of Marketing, Vol.36 Quantity 5/6 pp 524-547

O’Shaughnessy,J. & O’Shaughnessy, N.J. (2007) Reply to criticisms of promoting, the buyer society and hedonism, European Journal of Marketing Vol. 41, Number one /2 pp7-16

Richins, M.L. and Dawson, S. (1992) A Client Values Orientation for Materialism, Journal of Client Analysis, December 1992

Salzer-Morling, M. and Strannegard, L. (2007) Ain’t misbehavin’ – consumption in a moralized brandscape, Marketing Idea, Vol.7(four) pp 408-425

Simmons (2008) Marketing to submit fashionable consumers: introducing the Web Chameleon, European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 42, No ¾, pp 299-310

Solomon, M., Bamossy, G. Askegaard, S. and Hogg, M.Okay. (2006) Client Behaviour A European Perspective, Third Version, Prentice Corridor, UK.

Additional Studying:

Arnould, M.J. and Reynolds, Okay.E (2003), ‘Hedonic Purchasing Motivations’, Journal of Retailing, Vol. 79

Dittmar, H. (2004) Are you what you might have? The Psychologist, Vol.17, No four pp 206-210

Dholakia (1999) Going Purchasing: Key determinants of purchasing behaviour and motivations, Worldwide Journal of Retail and Distribution Administration, Vol. 27,No four pp 154-165

Mick, D.G. (1996) Are research of Darkish Aspect Variables Confounded by Socially Fascinating Responding? The Case of Materialism, Journal of Client Analysis, Vol.23 pp106-119

Naish, J (2008) Sufficient is Sufficient: Study to need much less, http://girls.timesonline.co.uk/to/life, Date accessed 04/10/09