Conspicuous Consumption

             

          With the uprise in technology and the effect of the media on todays

generation, conspicuous consumption is popular nationwide. In the article

 "Conspicuous Consumption" by Robert Atwan, it is explained that the principle

 of consumption has been uprising ever since the Industrial Revolution in the 1880's

 due to the birth of advertising, large department stores, and the rapid expansion of

mass media. Conspicuous consumption was first recognized by an economist named

Thorstein Veblen in the book The Theory of the Leisure Class in 1899. It is shown

 that people indefinitely don't buy things because they are in desperate need of the

products; they buy the items because it is available for them.  In today's world, there

are nearly an unlimited amount of ways to advertise something whether is is online, on

the television, or in magazines. It is a very brilliant way to get the consumers to hear

about the products and to buy them. 

This blog will include information on the questions; what are currently the best 

hockey sticks used today and what makes the more expensive hockey stick better? 

Who influences people to purchase top of the line hockey equipment? 

Lastly, why could the price of an all-star player’s jersey differ from a bench players price? 

These questions connect to the article since the conspicuous consumption theory 

is people buying the most expensive things because they can or want to impress

somebody. When the top of the line equipment companies subliminally tell the
consumers "if you don't buy this product you will not perform as good as you could
be," it makes the consumers think that they absolutely need the product so they
can perform to the max.
The first question we answered is What currently are the best hockey sticks
used in the NHL and what makes the more expensive hockey sticks better? With
research, our group found out that Nike Bauer, Reebok, and CCM are the top three
hockey sticks used in the NHL. The Reason that these hockey sticks outperform the
competitors is because it has more feel that the competitors sticks.
The next question we answered is Who influences the people to purchase the
expensive hockey gear? The current players is the answer to that question. The
current players that are under endorsements, which are contracts by a company
to advertise their product, are paid by the company they are endorsed by to do
television commercials, YouTube ads, magazines, and many other media
advertising in order to get the younger players to go out and purchase these
top of the line products that are more expensive than what the competitors
products are because the companies that make the cheaper products possibly
can't afford to buy commercial space.
The final question that we answered was Why could the price of the
All-Star's jersey differ from the cost of a bench players jersey? The answer to that
question is obvious. The demand for an extremely good hockey player's jersey
is a lot higher than some player who doesn't get a chance to play in the games.
Popularity in the media also plays a role in the price of the jerseys. If a player
is getting a lot of attention from the media whether they played good or did
something off of the field that gets them attention, they will have more consumers
out trying to buy their jersey.
In conclusion, people no longer buy things because they are in need of it; they
buy the products because it is available to them. The products being made in hockey
are wants instead of needs. The reason that conspicuous consumption is happening
is because of the advertisements that the products develop whether it is billboard signs,
televised commercials, and YouTube ads that people are seeing that make the
consumers feel the need to go out and purchase the best products.


Works Cited:
http://dickinson.edu/index.php/Conspicuous_Consumption_and_Game_Theory

"She Shoots, She Scores!" http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project_ideas/Sports_p049.shtml





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