ABSTRACT
The chapter presents the two forces of change-in the form of cultural value shift and digital technology-that are most prominent in today's global marketing environment and consumer culture. Today's global marketing environment is considered to be a consumer culture, where various activities, products, places, or brands are constantly bought and consumed in a highly individual and personal basis. Marketing and consumption are affected directly and indirectly by societal culture and the value system that prevails in current society. Using a wave-front analysis, researchers, such as Toffler, have examined the economic, political, social, and technological changes that have occurred during the last two centuries in the form of three waves of society. The introduction of automation and flexible manufacturing systems has resulted in mass customization, which the U.S. computer maker Dell can be considered an early example of. Digital technology, with its rapid development in the last five to ten years, has led to a rapid change in the individual's lifestyle.
