Capitalism, early market research, and the creation of the American consumer

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the way American businesses and marketers used research to shape the concept of the consumer at the turn of the twentieth century.Design/methodology/approachA historical, cultural approach is used to examine published and unpublished writings of economists, marketers, researchers, and publishers from the 1880s to about 1930. The primary focus is Curtis Publishing Company, publisher of the Saturday Evening Post and Ladies' Home Journal, and creator of one of the first market research departments in the USA.FindingsThe argument is made that publishers and advertisers took the values of a republic, values which has long empowered and idealized white property owners, and redefined those values in terms of buying ability. In doing so, they embed many biases in their market research, yet gave businesses a working concept of the consumer and helped shape society's ideals of the consumer.Research limitations/implicationsAs with all historical research, it is limited by the primary sources that have survived and are available.Originality/valueThis paper shows how early market research can provide an important perspective into the making of a consumer society, and how it can be used by historians and current practitioners to understand the methods, biases, and assumptions that have guided marketers and market research.