Most students and users of consumer research are likely to be interested in learning about the world as individual consumers perceive it. Accordingly, a special session was organized to introduce consumer researchers to the largely neglected domain of phenomenological psychology. This paper discusses some respects in which phenomenological interests and method may help to address aspects of marketing practice which up to now have received less than their due attention within the dominant natural scientific tradition. Topics for a continuing dialog with phenomenological psychology are also discussed.

At a time of national concern over energy shortage, inflation, and international unrest, we may be excused for wishing it were true that the files of corporate offices or behavioral science departments contained the knowledge needed to induce people to change their behavior. We could use a few “hidden persuaders’ , to get people to conserve energy, desist from debasing the currency, and refrain from threatening lives and engaging in violent actions. It is sobering to consider the actual state of our knowledge of persuasion, particularly in light of the enormous amount of research time and creativity that have been devoted to the subject.

This paper questions the extent to which marketing as distinct from selling or advocacy has been modeled in the communications literature of marketing and consumer behavior. It states communicative implications of the marketing concept and discusses conceptual and empirical issues that are relevant to each of three stages of marketing communications. Broader disciplinary implications are also considered.