1. Marketers would have us believe that consumers are sovereign—king or queen, totally in control of their decisions and not subject to undue influence by the marketer. Renowned philosopher John Stuart Mill observed, “Over himself, over his own body and soul, the individual is sovereign.” However, Abraham Lincoln believed, “You can’t fool all of the people all of the time,” suggesting that perhaps you can fool some of the people some of the time. P.T. Barnum opined, “There is a sucker born every minute.” And some wag proclaimed that “a fool and his money are soon parted.”

So, do you believe that the consumer is sovereign? Don’t marketers have power over consumers? Are there some types of market situations or consumer groups where this might be the case?