The globalized market cannot be considered to be a single homogeneous aggregate when, in reality, it is strongly segmented. This segmentation was theorized in the 1950s by Wendell Smith and it reflects the profound changes in economies and societies that have occurred in modern industrialized countries. In the second half of the 20th century, these changes include the progressive improvements in consumers’ quality of life as well as the improved level of education and changes in the labor market. At the same time, companies have also played a leading role in constantly adapting and adopting a variety of strategies that focus on mass production and mass “personalization”. Flexible production, in its various forms, appears as the productive response to the evolution of markets that are becoming increasingly segmented over time. Firms developed marketing and advertising strategies that have played a key role in both launching new products and creating a seductive image of “modernity” with a language onto itself. Multiple changes have accompanied the transformation of the characteristics and qualities of their products in order to appeal to different consumers. As a result of these changes, a less anonymous consumer has emerged who is faced with an ever-greater number of choices and who is increasingly willing to play an active part in the new globalized goods market. The result of this transformation is the affirmation of the cultural and social role of the consumer who asserts himself or herself as a central player in the modern market.

The End of the Mass Market and the Age of Segmentation / E. Scarpellini. - In: ENTREPRISES ET HISTOIRE. - ISSN 1161-2770. - 94:1(2019), pp. 50-61.

The End of the Mass Market and the Age of Segmentation

E. Scarpellini
2019

Abstract

The globalized market cannot be considered to be a single homogeneous aggregate when, in reality, it is strongly segmented. This segmentation was theorized in the 1950s by Wendell Smith and it reflects the profound changes in economies and societies that have occurred in modern industrialized countries. In the second half of the 20th century, these changes include the progressive improvements in consumers’ quality of life as well as the improved level of education and changes in the labor market. At the same time, companies have also played a leading role in constantly adapting and adopting a variety of strategies that focus on mass production and mass “personalization”. Flexible production, in its various forms, appears as the productive response to the evolution of markets that are becoming increasingly segmented over time. Firms developed marketing and advertising strategies that have played a key role in both launching new products and creating a seductive image of “modernity” with a language onto itself. Multiple changes have accompanied the transformation of the characteristics and qualities of their products in order to appeal to different consumers. As a result of these changes, a less anonymous consumer has emerged who is faced with an ever-greater number of choices and who is increasingly willing to play an active part in the new globalized goods market. The result of this transformation is the affirmation of the cultural and social role of the consumer who asserts himself or herself as a central player in the modern market.
Loin d’être monolithique, le marché mondialisé se caractérise par sa forte segmentation. Théorisée dans les années 1950 par les travaux de Wendell Smith, cette segmentation traduit les profonds changements survenus dans les économies et les sociétés des pays industrialisés modernes. Au même moment, l’amélioration progressive de la qualité de vie des consommateurs, la différenciation croissante de la population en fonction du capital culturel ainsi que la transformation du marché du travail expliquent cette évolution. Parallèlement, les entreprises ont joué un rôle moteur en s’adaptant constamment et en adoptant des stratégies variées misant à la fois sur la production de masse et la « personnalisation » de masse. La production flexible, sous ses différentes formes, apparaît comme la réponse productive à l’évolution d’un marché de plus en plus segmenté dans le temps. Les entreprises ont développé des stratégies marketing et publicité qui ont joué un rôle primordial dans le lancement de nouveaux produits, ainsi que dans la création d’une image séduisante de la « modernité » et d’un véritable langage. Ces multiples changements ont accompagné la transformation des caractéristiques et des qualités de leurs produits pour séduire différents consommateurs. Ces divers facteurs ont contribué à faire apparaître la figure d’un consommateur de moins en moins anonyme et aux choix de plus en plus diversifiés, désireux de participer activement au nouveau marché mondialisé des biens. Il ressort de cette transformation l’affirmation du rôle culturel et social du consommateur qui s’affirme comme un acteur central dans le marché moderne.
Settore M-STO/04 - Storia Contemporanea
2019
Article (author)
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/2434/674157
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