Table of Contents

1. Cover
2. Preface
3. Introduction
   1. I.1. Market value versus usage value: customers, consumers and users
   2. I.2. A sucker’s market
4. 1 The Power of Words
   1. 1.1. The power of word-of-mouth
   2. 1.2. The power of consumers/customers
   3. 1.3. The power of consumers/users
   4. 1.4. The power of demonstrations
   5. 1.5. The power of distributors
   6. 1.6. The power of the big buyers
   7. 1.7. The power of the Internet
   8. 1.8. The power of stars, influencers and idols
   9. 1.9. The power of genuine users
   10. 1.10. The power of sellers
5. 2 Temptation
   1. 2.1. The power of sales catalogs
   2. 2.2. The power of certificates, labels and eco-labels
   3. 2.3. The power of packaging
   4. 2.4. The power of labels
   5. 2.5. The power of manufacturers
   6. 2.6. The power of standards: inflation
   7. 2.7. The power of commercial leaflets
   8. 2.8. The power of specialized journals
   9. 2.9. The power of trade shows and fairs
   10. 2.10. The power of technical tests
   11. 2.11. The power of tele-shopping
6. 3 Belief and Respect
   1. 3.1. The power of fair trade
   2. 3.2. The power of ecologists
   3. 3.3. The power of the quality/price relationship
   4. 3.4. The power of consumer reviews and associations
7. 4 Marketing and Lies
   1. 4.1. The power of surveys and panels
   2. 4.2. The power of marketing
   3. 4.3. The power of consumer services
8. 5 Pleasing, Enjoying and Being Successful
   1. 5.1. The power of aesthetics, the seduction of products
   2. 5.2. The power of festivals and traditions
   3. 5.3. The power of fashion and trends
9. 6 The Powers that Be
   1. 6.1. The power of lobbies
   2. 6.2. The power of politics and the government
   3. 6.3. The abandoned goals of the Centre de Creation Industrielle
10. 7 The Power of “Made in France”
    1. 7.1. Should I buy French?
    2. 7.2. Are the labels all reliable?
    3. 7.3. AOC products
    4. 7.4. A new label: “Origine France Garantie” (in English: “French Origin Guaranteed”)
    5. 7.5. A lack of information for making choices
    6. 7.6. “Made in France”
    7. 7.7. Good for businesses
    8. 7.8. French products are more expensive and therefore of better “quality”!
    9. 7.9. Good for the consumer/customer?
    10. 7.10. The French product craze
    11. 7.11. “Made in France” and the brand
    12. 7.12. Progress made through globalization
    13. 7.13. An economic point of view
    14. 7.14. Design and manufacturing
    15. 7.15. Protectionism
    16. 7.16. Nationalism
    17. 7.17. Conclusion
11. 8 Seeing, Touching and Getting a Feel
    1. 8.1. The power of stores
    2. 8.2. The power of products
12. 9 The Innovative Product of a Known Brand
    1. 9.1. The power of technical innovations
    2. 9.2. The power of brands
13. 10 The Product Already Seen
    1. 10.1. The power of the media
    2. 10.2. The power of print media
    3. 10.3. The power of advertising
    4. 10.4. The power of TV
14. 11 Buying Cheap
    1. 11.1. The power of pricing
    2. 11.2. The power of sales
    3. 11.3. The power of promotions
    4. 11.4. The power of responsible purchasing
15. Appendix
16. References
17. Index
18. End User License Agreement

List of Illustrations

1. 2 Temptation
   1. Figure 2.1. (a) Label given by the APCI (French Association for Industrial Creation) and (b) Janus Label, given by the French Institute of Design. For a color version of this figure, see www.iste.co.uk/millot/choices1.zip
   2. Figure 2.2. (a) The company’s “eco-responsible” approach to packaging. (b) and (c) can be recycled. For a color version of this figure, see www.iste.co.uk/millot/choices1.zip
   3. Figure 2.3. (a) Recycled steel. (b) Type of plastic for recycling. (c) Recycling. (d) Simply indicates that the packaging should be thrown in the trash! For a color version of this figure, see www.iste.co.uk/millot/choices1.zip
   4. Figure 2.4. The CE marking (“European conformity”) is neither a certification mark nor an indication of where the product originated
   5. Figure 2.5. A jumble of labels, certificates, logos, etc. all wound up into a system of useless and misleading information, ending up as a stream of gibberish! For a color version of this figure, see www.iste.co.uk/millot/choices1.zip
   6. Figure 2.6. Even more labels, certificates, logos etc., all adding to the stream of gibberish! For a color version of this figure, see www.iste.co.uk/millot/choices1.zip
   7. Figure 2.7. Example of an “energy” label for washing machines: no oversight, incomplete, often misleading and obsolete, which may be harmful to the consumer. For a color version of this figure, see www.iste.co.uk/millot/choices1.zip
   8. Figure 2.8. New French “energy” label, released at the end of 2017! For a color version of this figure, see www.iste.co.uk/millot/choices1.zip
2. 3 Belief and Respect
   1. Figure 3.1. Trade for fair people, or fair trade? For a color version of this figure, see www.iste.co.uk/millot/choices1.zip
   2. Figure 3.2. French logo for sustainable development. For a color version of this figure, see www.iste.co.uk/millot/choices1.zip

Guide

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2. Table of Contents
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