The Authority of the Consumer. - book reviews

Business Horizons, May-June, 1995 by Joel Herche

The Authority, of the Consumer seeks to explore the implications of the new "consumer society." A major assumption of the text is that consumers' needs and wants have recently become the focal point for all kinds of providers of goods and services, notably in areas not traditionally seen as "transactions."

Following the introduction from the editors, the book--a compilation of 15 articles--is divided into three major sections: (1) social change and consumption, (2) consuming culture, and (3) consuming public services. Its editors, all employed at the University of Lancaster, nonetheless come from a variety of backgrounds. Russell Keat is a reader in philosophy, Nigel Whiteley is senior lecturer and head of the Department of Visual Arts, and Nicholas Abercrombie is a professor of sociology. The authors have drawn from a variety of disciplines in the social sciences and have included works from some nonacademics, including Adam Lury, an advertising executive, and John Winward, a director of research at a consumers' association.

Marketers will appreciate the emphasis the book places on recognizing that the term "consumer" has come to apply to a broad range of people--university students, social workers' clients, even taxpayers. The movement toward privatization and dissatisfaction with government-based solutions has forced managers in the public sector to incorporate customer service and satisfaction into their job descriptions. By calling those who use the services "customers," emphasis is placed on the relationship between the exchange partners and suggests that "these goods and services should satisfy their consumers' preferences, be responsive to their demands, and so on--depending on how that relationship is understood" (p. 2).

Part 1, "Social Change and Consumption," deals with the societal implications of a consumption-based culture. Its contributors warn of spillover effects into aspects of life that "should have nothing to do with consumption, being valued instead for other, intrinsic reasons" (p. 5). General agreement is reached that the consumption orientation has arisen since World War II, although more precise estimates vary. The authors touch on the meaning of possessions and the symbolic representation of one's belongings to highlight the significance of the changes beyond simple material acquisition.

The consumer-based culture lends itself to changes in the authority base of consumers. Activists, either in the form of consumerist associations or simply individuals refusing to take second-rate service, increasingly have the power to make public and private sector producers react to their complaints. The authority shift from producers is shown to carry implications in such diverse areas as government--where taxpayers are no longer willing to put up with the traditional models of public services----cultural and educational practices, and religion--from which departure from authoritarian, dogmatic control structures can be observed.

Consumer empowerment is seen by these authors as a temporary phenomenon, resulting from a power struggle between rival groups of producers. The Marxist concept of commodification (whereby goods and services are given a tangible monetary value to facilitate direct comparisons of product offerings) is evoked to explain the apparent transfer of power to consumers. Although it appears to be a fairly complex model, it can be summarized as follows: To facilitate their ascendancy, challenging groups provide consumers with products that can readily be recognized as superior to existing (established group) products. An intense season of producer rivalry will ensue, with challengers either displacing or succumbing to established market leaders. Once the rivalry is resolved, with new groups of producers in power, authority will be taken back from the realm of consumers via decommodification of the goods provided (that is, their monetary value will be distorted via differentiation). This perceived shift in power from producers to consumers is reported to be temporary and cyclical, although the authors provide no historical evidence to support this claim.

Lury's observations that an empowered consumer suggests a departure from traditional views of advertising are insightful and worth reading. His contribution will be most appreciated by business managers for its practical, concise orientation.

The consumer's newfound authority and its impact on Western culture are examined in Part 2, "Consuming Culture." The British institutions supporting the arts, such as the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Tate Gallery, are shown to be caught in the controversy of separation of commerce and culture. Demands from taxpayers that government subsidization of these institutions be reduced and private sources sought out reflect a consumerist view that art should be enjoyed (or at least enjoyable) by those who are paying for it.

A debate on the desirability of a market orientation for artists is indirectly presented in this section. There is interesting material here, although readers from the U.S. may have trouble identifying the platforms of the Old Right, Old Left, New Right, and New Left, independent of the authors' well-developed political biases. The debate centers around the threatened homogenization of culture by market-driven forces of consumer base with a limited imagination versus the paternalistic condescension of those who would propose an "authorized" high culture. Some of the ideas discussed in this section parallel the marketing literature on exchange and the marketing concept in the late 1980s.