Joseph Pine’s View of The Difference in Consumer Behavior as Depicted in His Book, What Consumers Really Want

Firstly, what I’ve learned from watching “What Consumers Want” by Joseph Pine is the fundamental change in the modern economy. I didn’t know what commodities were but after Pine explained it made sense that they lasted for the millennia. I feel the reason for this is because of the industrial revolution and the want for food to be produced faster. Cities were growing which lead to an increase in the production of goods. I strongly agree with Pine’s point that people didn’t care who made the product, they only cared about the price. When I buy something from the store it doesn’t cross my mind where it came from once the price is right. I feel this is the case with a lot of consumers.

Secondly, I enjoyed the point that Disney World is a fake reality. When you are there it feels like you’re in a movie. All the characters act accordingly to their movie rolls and all the stores replicate the Disney feel but when it comes down to it Disney World is a business. The people who dress up are paid for their service of acting and when it comes down to it the people who visit are paying for a fake reality. Despite this fake reality I love Disneyland and the atmosphere inside the park, this also touches on Pine’s other point that you make your own authentic experiences.

Finally, when Pine spoke about how the price of coffee increases from the coffee bean to the cup of coffee then from there to the brand name such as Starbucks really appealed to me. A cup of coffee in a regular store could cost between 2/3$ but when you add a cup with a Starbucks logo the price increases to 4/5$. Starbucks doesn’t have to advertise, the consumer knows the experience they are getting when entering Starbucks.