Soul of the New Consumer [Paperback]

Is it ironic or merely inevitable that in the so-called information age the vast majority of what we think we "know" is merely recycled, unchecked facts from tv, radio, newspapers, conferences, people at work and a bloke in the pub? We have heard an awful lot about the death of mass marketing and the "new consumer" lately; about their media savvy, militancy and desire to be treated as individuals. Where it is all coming from, what are the primary sources for these ideas?

It is coming from people like David Lewis and Darren Bridger, who have based their book The Soul Of The New Consumer on the findings of over a thousand surveys into changing consumer attitudes. Backed up by exhaustive experimental data from over the past four decades, for the first time they rigorously nail an argument that has hitherto been largely unsubstantiated assertion. A good example of this is in the chapter on the implications of the new consumer for tv advertising. We all know that the MTV generation can assimilate more information and that ads are faster-paced these days, but how do we know? Lewis and Bridger actually pin it down: "In 1978 an average 30 second television commercial contained some eight shots with an average shot length of less than four seconds. Today double or even treble this number of shots may be fitted into the same time", they write.

The thrust of their argument is that "new consumer" defies traditional marketing pigeon-holing. In reaction to a synthetic, processed and packaged world, their main drive is for an "authentic experience" used as a means for the individual to define him or herself. In their words, the book outlines "the practical steps that manufacturers, suppliers and service providers must take in order to grasp the opportunities and grapple with the challenges represented by the rise of the new consumers."

The Soul Of The New Consumer is compulsory reading for anyone interested in contemporary culture or anyone in the business of marketing or selling to consumers. --Alex Benady --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

The New Consumer's Revolution: * Why buzz beats hype * Why cheap is chic * Why brands must be authentic * Why segmentation is dead * Why advertising must reinvent itself * Why New Consumers loathe 'doing the shopping' * Why individuals' Tastespace will triumph in the marketplace New Consumers are revolutionizing the world of business, our culture and social expectations. No longer confined by gender, age, ethnicity or income, they are breaking down barriers, shattering stereotypes and redefining the very meaning of consumerism and the marketplace. From traditional to online retailing, from tracking coolhunters to exploring tastepace, The Soul of the New Consumer unearths the very essence of New Consumer's behavior - their drive for authenticity - and goes far beyond the simple concepts of how we shop or what we buy to answer the most important question of all: why. Every facet of the new economy, from buzz marketing and new retailing technologies to internet shopping, has dramatically altered not only how we buy but what we buy and why. In an era of 'cheap is chic', wealthy shoppers haggle to win even the smallest discounts ; gray consumers buy more rap and techno music than anyone else and are the fastest growing group of internet users ; and the Web and the power of micro-marketing have revolutionized forever the means of wooing new customers. New Consumers are taking over the world and redefining the very meaning of consumerism and the marketplace. As likely to be affluent over-fifties as ambitious under-thirties, New Consumers defy traditional marketing concepts and segmentation by age, gender or income. In pursuit of the authentic experience, New Consumers come together in their defining drive for all things 'real', in everything from food to fashion, foreign holidays to furniture, technology to spirituality. Their attention and interest have shifted from commodity to authenticity. In an affluent world now saturated with affordable products there are three new scarcities - time, attention and trust. This major book shows how these can be won by 'giving the soul control' rather than putting customers on the 'customer is king' pedestal. Over the past decade, Lewis and Bridger have been at the forefront of researching the New Consumers - studying their lifestyles, observing behavior and watching the steady rise in their numbers, influence and economic power. Here, for the first time and with example from Starbucks to Dyson, they report the results of their work, including Amex's use of computer technology to create intimate protraits of individuals - what the author's call 'tastepace'. Regardless of product or service, for companies large and small, The Soul of the New Consumer gathers research from marketing, psychology, social trends and economics to present the first ever profile of the independent, individualistic, involved and well-informed consumers who are challenging the way marketing, selling and business are done. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.