Buying in: What We Buy and Who We Are

Citation

Conejo, F. (2011), "Buying in: What We Buy and Who We Are", Journal of Product & Brand Management, Vol. 20 No. 3, pp. 250-250. https://doi.org/10.1108/10610421111134978

The rapid evolution of technology within the last decade is said to have fundamentally changed marketing: twenty‐first century consumers, particularly younger generations, are no longer passive and pliable couch potatoes who obediently follow mass media. Empowered with dazzling add blocking technology, alternative grassroots mobile media, and access to virtually unlimited information, these new consumers are fleeing the mainstream. Mass markets are losing out to conscious individuals who are increasingly impervious to marketing efforts and opposed to commercial culture. According to many observers, the emergence of this new consumer amounts to a major paradigm shift in marketing. But does it really?

Buying in argues against the myth of this new consumer, inconsistent with the realities of the marketplace. Instead of a there being a decline in consumption, as this newfound consciousness might suggest, author Walker shows how consumerism is as rampant as ever. More importantly, and this is Buying in's main point, society is becoming increasingly commercialized, a product of the symbiotic relationship between consumers and firms in their pursuit of meaning.

Buying in acknowledges the changes that marketing has experienced during the last decade or so. However, as Walker points out, these changes by no means constitute a major paradigm shift but rather an evolution. On the industry side of things there has been a refinement of how marketing accomplishes its different objectives. Walker coins the term “murketing” to refer to the increasingly murky and sophisticated techniques towards which marketing is shifting. While traditional marketing had clearly defined limits, murketing has none at all. It blurs commercial persuasion and everyday life into a single reality through the use of succinct product placements, seeded blogs, low‐profile sponsorships and undercover word‐of‐mouth agents. On the consumer side of things society had become more, not less, commercialized than before. It has embraced, not rejected, commercial culture, even in frank complicity with its perpetuation. As Walker sums up (p. 212):

In the murketing era, what seems new is rather the degree to which they‐we‐have embraced branded material culture as an acceptable way to quench those thirsts. Thus commercial persuasion is more thoroughly integrated into our lives than ever. Thus consumers have not resisted branding and marketing, they've shown a willingness to participate in the process: Rather than reject the idea that a manufactured symbol can have meaning, many have even manufactured symbols of their own. And thus there is every indication that we'll keep moving in this direction – contrary to what so many observers of commercial culture suggest.

Buying in thus discusses the semiotics of consumption. Contrary to traditional managerial marketing conceptions, the creation of meaning has evolved into a two way process. Brands are no longer designed by marketing experts, foisted on the masses and swallowed whole. They are now co‐created and mediated by a series of stakeholders. But this dialogue between consumers and firms is anything but explicit. It is subtle, complex and often misleading, which is why it needs to be looked at closely in order for marketers to understand it.

The ideas covered by Walker are by no means new. The notions that brands essentially consist of meaning, that consumers use brands to express the self, or that consumers and firms co‐create brand meaning, have been all extensively covered by the academic literature. However, the main value of Buying in lies in its integrating nature. The book discusses a series of ideas from psychology, anthropology, and marketing, among other fields, and combines them into a meaningful whole. This synthesis is then a big help towards better understanding the current post‐postmodern marketing environment. However, this conceptual integration is not limited to the present. It is enriched through the historical discussion of marketing issues dating back to the 1800s. This provides an even more comprehensive perspective from which to gauge the present.

Another of Buying in's virtues is its real‐world approach. Instead of dwelling on theory or isolated empirical research, the book takes us on a rich journey of case studies and interviews. A plethora of brands are studied from both marketer and consumer perspectives. Cases range from Fortune 100 corporations to neighborhood start‐ups, and from mass market to counter cultural. Also covering subjects like technology, ethics, and the environment, Walker provides a good picture of what's really happening out there.

Finally, Buying in is written in an interesting, entertaining, and fluid style, a product of Walker having previously collaborated with Slate and the New York Times, among others. Based on extensive field research and his own experiences as a consumer, the tone is also often introspective. Not only does this give the book extra depth and unique insights, but more importantly, it also stimulates the reader to question his/her own reality as a consumer. And unlike other consumer culture books, particularly those referring to counterculture, conclusions are not sensationalist but well reasoned and substantiated.

Buying in's seemingly “light” nature makes it an ideal read for marketing practitioners and students. Not only will these two audiences very likely enjoy the book, but it will also help them transcend traditional managerial marketing and better understand twenty‐first century brands and consumers. That said, marketing academics would also benefit from reading Buying in. Not only will it update them as to what is happening on the street, but also give them good food for thought to later integrate into their respective research. In sum, a great read, highly recommended.