Missing links: Product classification theory and the social characteristics of goods

One of the most enduring concepts in the history of marketing thought relates to the classification of consumer goods. The product classification theory first proposed by Melvyn T. Copeland in 1923 has, with little modification, survived to the present day, and continues to be endorsed by both the American Marketing Association and the UK Chartered Institute of Marketing some 80 years after it was first published. In truth, Copeland’s classification is now outdated and bears little, if any, relevance to modern product advertising, retailing and consumption. In particular, it can not accommodate the fact that, in modern societies, consumer preoccupations with style, personal identity and status have meant that the social characteristics of goods, heavily promoted by brand managers who understand their markets, are key determinants of consumer choice and buyer behaviour. This article explores the reasons why product classification theory has been unresponsive to changes in market conditions over so many years and argues that its failure to embrace the many social influences on consumption and on consumer behaviour is now its most serious weakness.