Materialism debate: Does marketing contribute to society's ills?

Jon Alexander and Rory Sutherland

Jon Alexander argues that marketers could be major contributors to the systemic change we need to see in the world.

Materialism debate: Does marketing contribute to society's ills?

Jon Alexander and Rory SutherlandNational Trust and Ogilvy

Jon Alexander accuses marketing of sleepwalking society towards a precipice and believes marketers need to think more about the wider impacts of their work. Rory Sutherland defends conspicuous consumption, arguing that status-seeking is innate and a competitive economy is required to promote a healthy variety in the ways in which people express it.

Jon Alexander's case for change

The attitude of the marketing industry to criticism is often an exasperated "not us again!"

We look back to The Hidden Persuadersin the...

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