5/12/03

Alex Pack/David Granger, 334/844-9999

AUBURN PROFESSOR'S NEW BOOK EXPLORES 'CONSUMERSPACE'

Michael R. Solomon

AUBURN -- An Auburn University professor has written a new book on consumer behavior that explores the importance of branding on marketing strategies in today's retail environment.

The book by Michael R. Solomon, a professor of consumer behavior in AU's College of Human Sciences, is entitled Conquering Consumerspace: Marketing Strategies for a Branded World.

Solomon's book was published by the American Management Association, which is featuring the work as one of its lead titles for 2003. Solomon will soon embark on a 25-city media campaign to publicize its release.

"The book's target audience is anyone who works in advertising, marketing, e-commerce, or anybody who is interested in how what we wear defines who we are as people," Solomon said.

"Nowadays, you're seeing much more active consumer involvement in marketing," he says. ""For example, everyday people are becoming merchants on eBay and the general public has the opportunity to vote on the outcomes of national competitions, like on 'American Idol.'"

Solomon's book defines strategies for business success and reveals the new world of consumer behavior, where traditional boundaries between branded commodities and everyday life are blurred.

Marketspace is defined as a commercial system where companies dictate when, where and what we buy. Marketspace, according to Solomon, is fast becoming obsolete and giving way to consumerspace.

In consumerspace, he says, you are what you buy.

Consumers integrate the brands they buy into their social identities. Marketers who understand the role their brands play in the creation of the self will have a competitive advantage over those who think that people buy products for what they do rather than what they mean, Solomon says.

"In consumerspace," Solomon said, "people aren't unwitting dupes of the marketing machine. Even though our lives are defined by commercial messages as never before, we now want to be a part of the action."

In consumerspace, Solomon asserts, participatory marketing strategies are key. Customers value the opportunity to provide input to the creation of the products they buy. Conquering Consumerspace demonstrates how companies are tuning in to the new consumer mindset.

Conquering Consumerspace, which will be published May 22, is available online through Barnes & Noble.

In addition to teaching at AU for the past eight years , Solomon has also authored the leading textbook in his field, entitled Consumer Behavior: Buying, Having and Being, and has written articles for GQ, Savvy and Psychology Today. He is director of Mind/Share Inc., a consulting firm specializing in lifestyle marketing and consumer behavior.

may03:AU-solomon

CONTACT: Solomon, 334/844-1316; or Kama Timbrell, 212/903-8315.