New Directions in Consumer Behavior: From Cognition to Culture

by Richard Elliott, R. Elliot

Consumer research has led to the image of the consumer as a rational, highly involved thinker who processes information and considers every choice that is made. This cognitive approach has more recently been challenged by social psychologists and anthropologists arguing that a more descriptive model of consumers needs to be developed. This study analyzes the various approaches to consumer psychology, tracing the trend towards postmodern alternatives to cognitive behaviour and asking if there is a unified theory that ties together the variety of insights taken from areas like structuralism, semiotics, cultural studies, literature and history. As he considers such issues as minimal decision-making, pathological consumption and stereotypes, he discusses the implications for product development, advertising strategies and the wider role of marketing.

256 pages, Hardcover