• False Wants and Too Much Materialism

• False Wants and Too Much Materialism

Critics have charged that, in advanced nations such as the USA, the marketing system urges too much interest in material possessions. People arc judged by

what they own rather than by what they ore. To be considered successful, people must own a smart­looking house or apartment in a prime residential site, expen­ sive cars and the latest designer label clothes and consumer electronics.

Consider, for example, the training­shoe market. These days, training shoes have gone the same way as cameras, watches and mobile phones:

functionality is useless without 'tec lino­supremacy' and high style. Take Nike's Air Max Tailwind which features: 'flexi­laces' which stretch to give foot comfort; 'interactive eyestay' for one­movement tightening and

adjusting; 'mesh upper' made of lightweight synthetic leather for cooler feet; 'plastic air pockets' filled with sulphur hexailuoride for added cushioning; 'flexible grooves' in the arch of the shoe to allow natural foot

movements and give support and 'waffle soles' with grooved treads for traction and support! So sophisticated has it become that it is no longer

even enough to say that you have a pair of Nikcs. Its famous tick logo is now more globally visible than the crucifix, so your Nikes had better be a very rare variety and/or very expensive if you expect to seriously impress, Alternatively, you could go for a limited edition Adidas or something

slightly underground like DC skate shoes, 6

Social Criticisms of Marketing • 53

Is there a similar enchantment with money in Europe? Asia? The rest of the world? It is neither feasible nor appropriate for this chapter to indulge readers in an extensive debate on cross­cultural similarities and dissimilarities in material­

istic tendencies and behaviour, and whether marketing is the root cause of these desires. Rather, we acknowledge the phenomenon of the 'yuppie generation' that emerged in the 1980s, symbolizing a new materialistic culture that looked certain to stay. In the 1990s, although many social scientists noted a reaction against the opulence and waste of the 1980s and a return to more basic values and social

commitment, our infatuation with material things continues. For example, when asked in a recent poll what they value most in their lives, subjects listed enjoyable work (86 per cent), happy children (84 per cent), a good marriage (69 per cent)

and contributions to society (66 per cent). However, when asked what most symbolizes success, 85 per cent said money and the things it will buy. 7

Critics view this interest in material things not as a natural state of mind, but rather as a matter of false wants created by marketing. Businesses stimulate people's desires for goods through the force of advertising, and advertisers use the mass media to create materialistic models of the good life. People work harder to earn the necessary money. Their purchases increase the output of the nation's industry, and industry, in turn, uses the advertising media to stimulate more desire for its industrial output. Thus marketing is seen as creating false wants that

benefit industry more than they benefit consumers. However, these criticisms overstate the power of business to create needs. People have strong defences against advertising and other marketing tools. Marketers are most effective when they appeal to existing wants rather than when they attempt to create new ones. Furthermore, people seek information when

making important purchases and often do not rely on single sources. Consumers ultimately display rational buying behaviour: even minor purchases that may be

affected by advertising messages lead to repeat purchases only if the product performs as promised. Finally, the high failure rate of new products shows that companies are not always able to control demand.

On a deeper level, our wants and values are influenced not only by marketers, but also by family, peer groups, religion, ethnic background and education. If societies are highly materialistic, these values arose out of basic socialization processes that go much deeper than business and mass media could produce alone. The importance of wealth and material possessions to the overseas

Chinese, for example, is explained more by cultural and socialization factors than by sustained exposure to western advertising influences.