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BU HISTORIAN FINDS THAT SUCCESSFUL COMPANIES FOLLOW THE CONSUMER’S LEAD
11 May 2000 - Boston University
| Are consumers manipulated into buying things they don’t want through skillful advertising? Not so, argues History Professor Regina Lee Blaszczyk in her new book Imagining Consumers: Design and Innovation from Wedgwood to Corning. |
Are consumers manipulated into buying things they don’t want through skillful advertising? Not so, argues History Professor Regina Lee Blaszczyk in her new book Imagining Consumers: Design and Innovation from Wedgwood to Corning. To the contrary, her research reveals that historically the leading manufacturers of home goods have devoted considerable effort to learn about their customers’ priorities and preferences, basing their design and product decisions on this information. And the trend continues today, says Blaszczyk, notably among such products as clothing, home fashions, and automobiles, products that express personal taste and are central to creating an individual’s identity. Imagining Consumers by
Professor Regina Blaszczyk "The Martha Stewart phenomenon is not really new," says Blaszczyk. "Stewart is really tapping into a long tradition, one that has existed for more than a century, of women choosing carefully among consumer products to make a statement of personal identity and style.
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