Advertising at the Crossroads (RLE Advertising)

Chapter 1

THE ADVERTISER AND THE CONSUMER

 

THE IMPACT OF ADVERTISING ON THE CONSUMER AND THE HOME

All the efforts of advertising are directed against one group—the consumer. Of the basic economic groups in our modern society, the ultimate consumer is the largest and his interest the most akin to the general interest; yet he is the least organized, the least articulate, and the least recognized of all the groups in the dynamics of policy formation. The consumer's position is inherently weak, since his interest is diffused too widely to lend itself to effective organization.

In the theoretical system of classical economics, the consumer played a leading role. Adam Smith's well-known comment on this point is worth citing:

Consumption is the sole ...