Conformity, Obedience And Positional Goods
Positional goods are items that people buy that they believe will increase their relative status in society. These items are usually higher priced than the average market price and can carry with them, a brand or specific company although that is not always necessarily the case. Positional goods can be almost anything. These items will supposedly increase the prestige that the person gets. The average consumer may not realize what they are buying is a positional good. Conformity and obedience are two things which help drive the movement of these positional goods within a society.
Conformity is when the majority accepts something as reality or a social norm and everybody adopts it or you are labeled as an outcast or different which in turn …show more content…
Obedience is interesting because if a company can make a consumer obedient to their brand then that company has business for the lifetime of that individual. McDonald’s is the first company that comes to mind that forces obedience into consumers. With their low prices and relative ease of access to their products but it is more than just that. It’s the obedience that they receive from their customers. They establish themselves as a family-friendly place to eat with healthy and unhealthy choices. Yes the average price for a meal has gone up but it’s still relatively cheaper than most other restaurants and fast food places, and it establishes itself as a brand that families and people trust . It is through this obedience that McDonald’s has establish itself as America’s fast food restaurant. People will think of America when they think of McDonald’s and vice …show more content…
That there’s private goods, public goods, and positional goods just exemplifies the importance of positional goods within American society and its economy. Positional goods are not the public’s inherent focus when it comes to economic concerns and that is what makes positional goods so powerful: they are invisible and their superficial meaning is exactly that, superficial until one cracks open that and digs deeper. These positional goods are forcing people to compromise themselves within the larger society and causes
Conformity is when the majority accepts something as reality or a social norm and everybody adopts it or you are labeled as an outcast or different which in turn …show more content…
Obedience is interesting because if a company can make a consumer obedient to their brand then that company has business for the lifetime of that individual. McDonald’s is the first company that comes to mind that forces obedience into consumers. With their low prices and relative ease of access to their products but it is more than just that. It’s the obedience that they receive from their customers. They establish themselves as a family-friendly place to eat with healthy and unhealthy choices. Yes the average price for a meal has gone up but it’s still relatively cheaper than most other restaurants and fast food places, and it establishes itself as a brand that families and people trust . It is through this obedience that McDonald’s has establish itself as America’s fast food restaurant. People will think of America when they think of McDonald’s and vice …show more content…
That there’s private goods, public goods, and positional goods just exemplifies the importance of positional goods within American society and its economy. Positional goods are not the public’s inherent focus when it comes to economic concerns and that is what makes positional goods so powerful: they are invisible and their superficial meaning is exactly that, superficial until one cracks open that and digs deeper. These positional goods are forcing people to compromise themselves within the larger society and causes