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Product enthusiasts, increasingly prevalent in American society, represent significant marketplace forces because of their high levels of information seeking, opinion leadership, and innovativeness. For marketers to best serve these consumers, many commonly used marketing strategies must be altered or adapted. In this article, marketing mix elements serve as a framework to discuss strategic issues relevant to this category of consumer.

Examines the consumer′s role in the proliferation of product counterfeiting. Describes a demand‐side orientation to the counterfeiting problem and discusses results from a field experiment examining consumers′ willingness to select a counterfeit apparel item knowingly. Indicates that a surprisingly large proportion of adult consumers will select a counterfeit garment over the genuine good when there is a price advantage. Investigates product perceptions and decision criteria and implications for marketer action.

The aim of this research was to explore possible origins of enduring involvement (EI) with products and stimulate relevant research. In addition, this study also examined the conditions that affect involvement development and change.

Autobiographic narratives were gathered from consumers identified as being highly involved with cars, photography, fashion, or jazz. The data were analyzed at the surface structure, the narrative level, and the deep level, to arrive at chronic structures of the episodes discussed in the narratives.

EI is a dynamic construct that emerges due to socialization and influences endemic to the product class. Numerous contextual and intervening conditions, such as product tractability, switching costs, disposable variables, and role demands appear to affect the overall development and growth of EI.

In both the design of a product, as well as the facilitation of product‐centered social interaction, marketers can significantly influence the development of a consumer's enduring product involvement. Such a development has long‐term implications for consumer spending and behavior in relation to a product category or specific brand.

The research is among the first works in consumer behavior to map specific elements associated with the development of EI. Further it also helps understand why consumers, rather than become bored, turn increasingly connected and involved with a product category over a period of time. Future research, both qualitative and quantitative, might build upon the results.

States that the level of consumer involvement in a product category is a major variable relevant to advertising strategy. Suggests product category is often segmented by the level of consumer involvement; however, consumers are rarely segmented. Points out that different involvement clusters have different responses to advertising effectiveness for the same product. Presents a case study segmenting a market using the consumer involvement degree, exploring the characteristics in order to determine the relationship between advertising effectiveness and the level of consumer involvement. Shows results suggesting that a high degree of consumer involvement directed a high advertising effect and is therefore an important indication for advertising strategy.

This paper calls attention to the profound differences between personal inventory decision making and the corresponding decision making of business organizations. It is argued first that the motivations and criteria being used by consumers are vastly different from the assumptions of models such as the well known EOQ (Economic Order Quantity) model. Next the implications for marketing are discussed. A research agenda is then proposed for filling in some of what is currently unknown.