Safety
According to the Consumer Protection Act 1986, the consumer right is referred to as ‘right to be protected against marketing of goods and services which are hazardous to life and property’.It is applicable to specific areas like healthcare, pharmaceuticals.
Information
The right to information is defined as ‘the right to be informed about the quality, quantity, potency, purity, standard and price of goods or services, as the case may be so as to protect the consumer against unfair trade practices’ in the Consumer Protection Act of 1986.
Consumerism
Consumerism is a social as well as economic order which encourages the buying of goods and services in ever-greater amounts. This term is sometimes associated with critics of consumption beginning with Thorstein Veblen. Veblen's topic of examination.
Links
Young Consumers and Consumer Responsibility
The market finds in children, teenagers and youth crucial consumer segment as an important one to notice. As they have unique consumption habits most of their purchasing decisions depend on them. Take for example the notable trends or brand images they admire. Furthermore, new technology, style and flavor of food products et al matter in their case. Markets always realize the needs of the young consumers like how do they maintain this tendency to go for junk food instead of traditional ones. Market exploits such characteristic by keeping suitability and brand image into consideration when it comes to highlighting junk foods like colas, fast-food joints and pizzas which youths like.
Take for example the three major Indian toothpaste brands Colgate, Pepsodent and Close Up that have competition with each other to maintain maximum market share possible. As they are keen to achieve their targets in all age groups they even involve children and youth as consumers through ensuring featuring them in theadvertisements ensure that young consumers are easily attracted. It is often analyzed in the case of Colgate which has main target to young children in 5 to 12 years of age group hence they provide free cartoon booklets to them with toothpastes to seek attention.
Likewise, Pepsodenthas a different strategy for the same segment of consumers in that age group. It showcases the children enjoying snacks, confectioneries and sweets as compared to rest children being rebukedthrough their mothers who did the same activities. Idea behind this advertisement is that children are made to believe as consumers using Pepsodentperfectly immunefor all sorts of tooth decaysdue to the best quality they have chosen. Such claims are often not authenticated so do they mislead children to the best. Perceiving children is not the prime target of Close Up though. It rather focuses on the youths and therefore targets teenagers only. Keeping in consideration such idea it create unique brand image of confidence through popularizing that for the young consumers in 16-30 age groups and focus on that only. That is why their advertisements often feature romances and successful friendships between various Close-Up users for new excitements.
Ironically products are sold by investing millions of rupees on advertising ideas for items that merely cost just Rs. 30 or less and consumers assume them ordinary items. Markets would always go to any of the extents possible for sales boosting from even pushing toothpaste on the neem sticks to even strategically advertising in Kumbhmela that might not make any sense. Sales stagnation is bound to occur after particular stage. Constant repackaging of an existing product supersedes such negative developments to even re-launch and new product promotion. Take for example Colgate already having introduced several new brands such as Colgate Total, Colgate Dental Cream, Cibaca, Colgate Gel and Colgate Herbal amongst others.
