Growth, Excess and Opportunities

Abstract

Exchange is seen through all living entities, but marketing systems and their complexity are one of the aspects that separate humans from other animals. Our marketing systems are complex and require trust in remote, and often never met or personally encountered, individuals. These marketing systems have significantly contributed to the development of humanity and our increasing length of life and standard of living. But, in the Western world we have gone beyond satisfying the needs of humans to an era of excess consumption that negatively impacts on not just our current environment and society, but our potential futures. At the same time vast numbers of people remain under provided for by marketing systems, living short lives with a low standard of living. Discussing the development of marketing systems and our current era of excess this paper provides a call to macromarketing researcher. It asks for research on big topics that will define the future of humanity, and potentially whether there will be one at all.