The Metamorphosis of Greek Consumers' Sentiments Toward Marketing and Consumerism

Abstract

ABSTRACT Greece has changed dramatically over the last two decades, given its economic reforms and its absorption into the EU as a full member. Marketing activities, in particular, have also changed during this period reflecting the harmonization of Greek business activities with the rest of the EU. To date, no study has examined how any particular European country has evolved in terms of its citizen's attitudes toward marketing practices. This study provides an historical analysis to determine if consumer attitudes towards marketing practices and consumerism in Greece have changed measurably from 1986 to 2003. The results indicate that Greek consumers continue to have some negative attitudes about these issues, but this negativity has declined. The negative attitudes about advertising have not changed appreciably since 1986, yet consumers now believe that Greek firms have become consumer oriented. The paper provides other commentary on these results and their implications.