Reimagining Consumerism as a Force for Good: The Future of Consumer Collectives Is a Human Collective

Martina Olbert

Journal of the Association for Consumer Research, 2021, vol. 6, issue 4, 522 - 529

Abstract: The consumer model as we know it is hitting its limits today as it is no longer socially and culturally aligned with what people value. Since the COVID pandemic, our human needs and values have been rapidly evolving in a new direction that takes us back to our humanity in a quest to retrieve the lost meaning in our lives. We are experiencing a 180-degree paradigm shift from brands to people reversing the dynamic of the brand-consumer relationships. For this reason, the future of consumer collectives is a human collective. There are no consumers or collectives. There is only one collective: the human collective. As we are reclaiming our humanity and are awakening to our higher needs, segmenting people into consumer collectives is no longer as relevant. To authentically connect with people, brands need to shift their focus away from themselves and their purpose and focus on what people value—and that is meaning. When brands do this right, consciously and on a large scale, they can become the catalysts of a real social change. They can become forces for good—forces for meaningful social growth.

Date: 2021
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