Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Domestic consumer expenditures for consumer books: 1984–1994

  • Published:
Publishing Research Quarterly Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Between 1984 and 1994, the U.S. consumer marketplace was transformed with the introduction or wide acceptance of personal computers, CD-ROMs, VCRs, video-cassettes, the Internet, E-mail, cable television, etc. U.S. Department of Commerce data indicated conclusively that these products and services competed directly for media usage and media expenditures with all other media formats, including consumer books. Many media economics scholars who investigated media usage and expenditures came to believe that consumer allocations for various media products and services remained at a “constant” percent of Domestic Consumer Expenditures (DCE), which they termed the “Principle of Relative Constancy.”

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Abernathy, A.M. & Franke, G.R. (1996). The information content of advertising: A meta-analysis. Journal of Advertising, 25(Summer), 1–17.

    Google Scholar 

  • Auletta, K. (1997). The highwaymen: Warriors of the information superhighway. New York: Random House.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bayers, B.L. (1991). The consumer durable replacement buyer. Journal of Marketing, 55 (January), 42–51.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bayers, B.L. & Mehta, R. (1995). A segmentation model for targeted marketing of consumer durables. Journal of Marketing Research, 32 (November), 463–469.

    Google Scholar 

  • Biswars, A., Olsen, J.E., & Carlet, V. (1992). A comparison of print advertisements from the United States and France. Journal of Adverstising, 21 (December), 74–81.

    Google Scholar 

  • Book Industry Study Group (1997) Book industry trends 1997. New York: Book Industry Study Group.

    Google Scholar 

  • Book Industry Study Group (1996). Book industry trends 1996. New York: Book Industry Study Group.

    Google Scholar 

  • Book Industry Study Group (1995). Book industry trends 1995. New York: Book Industry Study Group.

    Google Scholar 

  • Book Industry Study Group (1994). Book industry trends 1994. New York: Book Industry Study Group.

    Google Scholar 

  • Book Industry Study Group (1993). Book industry trends 1993. New York: Book Industry Study Group.

    Google Scholar 

  • Book Industry Study Group (1992). Book industry trends 1992. New York: Book Industry Study Group.

    Google Scholar 

  • Book Industry Study Group (1991). Book industry trends 1991. New York: Book Industry Study Group.

    Google Scholar 

  • Book Industry Study Group (1990). Book industry trends 1990. New York: Book Industry Study Group.

    Google Scholar 

  • Borjas, G.J. (1994). The economics of immigration. The Journal of Economic Literature, 32, 1667–1717.

    Google Scholar 

  • Borjas, G.J. & Freeman, R. B. (1996). Searching for the effect of immigration on labor markets. American Economic Review, 86, 246–251.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bucklin, R.E. & Gupta, S. (1992). Brand choice, purchase incidence, and segmentation. Journal of Marketing Research, 29 (May), 201–215.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burnett, J.J. (1991). Examining the media habits of the affluent elderly. Journal of Advertising Research, 31 (October/November), 33–41.

    Google Scholar 

  • Burnett, J.J. & Paul, P. (1996). Assessing the media habits and needs of the mobility-disabled consumer. Journal of Advertising, 25 (Fall), 47–59.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cannon, H.M. & Rashid, A. (1990/1991). When do demographics help in media planning? Journal of Advertising Research, 30 (December/January), 20–26.

    Google Scholar 

  • Daly, C., Henry, P. & Ryder, E. (1997). The magazine publishing industry. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

    Google Scholar 

  • Darley, W.K. & Smith, R.E. (1995). Gender differences in information processing strategies: An empirical test of the selectivity model in advertising response. Journal of Adverting, 24, (Spring), 41–56.

    Google Scholar 

  • Davenport, J.S. (1965). Economic support of mass communication media in the United States, 1929–1963. Cincinnati: Scripps-Howard Research.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dawar, N., & Parker, P. (1994). Marketing universals: Consumers’ use of brand name, price, physical appearance, and retailer reputation as signals of product quality. Journal of Marketing, 58 (April), 81–95.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Demers, D. (1994). Relative constancy hypothesis, structural pluralism, and national advertising expenditures. The Journal of Media Economics, 7(4), 31–48.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Demers, D. (1997). Revisiting corporate newspapers’ structure and profit-making: Was I wrong? Paper delivered at the 1997 Annual Convention of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, Chicago.

  • Deshpande, R., & Stayman, D.M. (1994). A tale of two cities: Distinctiveness theory and advertising effectiveness. Journal of Marketing Research, 31 (February), 57–64.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dimmick, J. (1997). The theory of the niche and spending on mass media: The case of the “video revolution”. The Journal of Media Economics, 10, 33–43.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dimmick, J., Patterson, S. & Albarran, A.B. (1992). Competition between the cable and broadcast industries: A niche analysis. The Journal of Media Economics, 5(1), 13–30.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dlener, N. & Neelankavil, J.P. (1990). Informational sources and media usage: A comparison between Asian and Hispanic subcultures. Journal of Advertising Research, 30, (June/July), 45–52.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dupagne, M. (1997). Beyond the principle of relative constancy: Determinants of consumer mass media expenditures in Belgium. The Journal of Media Economics 10, 3–19.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dupagne, M. (1994). Testing the relative constancy of mass media expenditures in the United Kingdom. The Journal of Media Economics, 7(3), 1–14.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fullerton, H.S. (1988). Technology collides with relative constancy: The pattern of adoption for a new medium. The Journal of Media Economics 1(3), 75–84.

    Google Scholar 

  • Greco, A.J. & Swayne, L.E. (1992). Sales response of elderly consumers to point-of-purchase advertising. Journal of Advertising Research, 32 (September/October), 43–54.

    Google Scholar 

  • Greco, A.N. (1997a). The book publishing industry. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

    Google Scholar 

  • Greco, A.N. (1997b). The market for consumer books in the U.S.: 1985–1995, Publishing Research Quarterly, 13(Spring), 3–40.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gupta, S. & Chintagunta, P.K. (1994). On using demographic variables to determine segment membership in logit mixture models. Journal of Marketing Research, 31(February), 128–136.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hirschman, E.C. & Thompson, C.J. (1997). Why media matters: Toward a richer understanding of consumers’ relationships with advertising and mass media. Journal of Advertising, 26(Spring), 43–60.

    Google Scholar 

  • Houseman, S.N. (1995). Job growth and the quality of jobs in the U.S. economy. Staff working paper no. 95-39, W.E. Upiohn Institute for Employment Research, Kalamazoo, MI.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hull, G. (1998). The Recording Industry. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kinter, C.V. (1945). Effects of differences in income on newspaper circulation. Journalism Quarterly, 22, 227–229.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kover, A.J., James, W.L., & Sonner, B.S. (1997). To whom do advertising creatives write? An inferential answer. Journal of Advertising Research, 37 (January/February), 41–53.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lacy, S. & Niebauer, W.E., Jr. (1995). Developing and using theory for media economics. The Journal of Media Economics, 8(2), 3–14.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lacy, S. & Noh, G-Y. (1997). Theory, economics, measurement, and the principle of relative constancy. The Journal of Media Economics, 10, 3–16.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Landau, E. & Davenport, J.S. (1959). Price anomalies of the mass media. Journalism Quarterly, 36, 291–294.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lee, W. & Katz, H. (1993). New media, new messages: an initial inquiry into audience reactions to advertising on videocassettes. Journal of Advertising Research, 33 (January/February) 74–85.

    Google Scholar 

  • Levin, H. J. (1954). Competition among mass media and the public Interest. Public Opinion Quaterly, 28, 62–79.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Levitan, S.A. (1984). Productivity: Problems, prospects, and policies. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Litman, B. (1998). The film mega-industry. Boston: Bacon.

    Google Scholar 

  • McCarthy, J.A. & Shrum, L.J. (1993). The role of personal values and demographics in predicting television viewing behavior: Impications for theory and application. Journal of Advertising, 22 (December), 77–101.

    Google Scholar 

  • McCombs, M.E. (1972). Mass media in the marketplace. Journalism Monographs 24.

  • McCombs, M.E. & Eyal, C. (1980). Spending on mass media. Journal of Communication, 30(Winter), 153–158.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McCombs, M.E. & Nolan, J. (1992). The relative constancy approach to consumer spending for media. The Journal of Media Economics, 5(Summer), 43–52.

    Google Scholar 

  • McCombs, M.E. & Son, J. (1986). Patterns of economic support for mass media during a decade of electronic invasion. Paper delivered at the 1986 Annual Convention of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, Norman, OK.

  • Meilan-Pita, X. & Wu, H.D. (1997). The same old pie? The constancy hypothesis revisited. Paper delivered at the 1997 Annual Convention of the Association for education in Journalism and Mass Communication, Chicago, IL.

  • Meyers-Levy, J. & Sternthal, B. (1991). Gender differences in the use of message cues and judgments. Journal of Marketing Research, 28 (February), 84–96.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Milliman, R.E. & Erffmeyer, R.C. (1989/1990). Improving advertising aimed at seniors. Journal of Advertising Research, 29 (December/January), 31–36.

    Google Scholar 

  • Noh, G.-Y. & Grant, A.E. (1997). Media functionality and the principle of relative constancy: An explanation of the VCR aberration. The Journal of Media Economics, 10(3), 17–31.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Parsons, P. & Frieden, R.M. (1998). The cable and satellite television industry. Boston: Allyn & Bacon

    Google Scholar 

  • Pavlik, J. (1998). New media technology. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

    Google Scholar 

  • Peterson, W. (1959). Is daily circulation keeping pace with the nation’s growth? Journalism Quarterly, 36, 12–22.

    Google Scholar 

  • Picard, R.G. (1989). Media economics. Sage: Newburry Park, CA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Picard, R.G. & Brody, J. (1997). The newspaper industry. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

    Google Scholar 

  • Putler, D.S., Kalyanam, K. & Hodges, J.S. (1996). Bayesian approach for estimating target marker with limited geodemographical information. Journal of Marketing Research, 33 (May), 134–149.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ramstad, G.O. (1997), A model for structural analysis of the media market. The Journal of Medica, Economics, 10 (3), 45–50.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Riley, J.W., Cantwell, F. & Ruttinger, K.F. Ruttiger (1949). Some observations on the social effects of television. Public Opinion Quarterly, 13, 226.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rust, L. (1993). Observations: How to reach children in stores: Marketing tactics grounded in observational research. Journal of Advertising Research, 33 (November/December), 67–72.

    Google Scholar 

  • Singh, S.N., Mishra, S., Bendapudi, N., & Linville, D. (1994). Enhancing memory of television commercials through message spacing. Journal of Marketing Research, 31 (August), 384–392.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Son, J. (1990). The impact of new electronic media on audience support for mass media. Ph.D. dissertation, University of Texas at Austin.

  • Son, J. & McCombs, M.E. (1993). A look at the constancy principle under changing market conditions. The Journal of Media Economics, 6(2), 24–36.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stephens, N. (1991). Cognitive age: A useful concept for advertising? Journal of Advertising, 20 (December), 37–48.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sukhdial, A.S., Chakraborty, G., & Steger, E.K. (1995). Measuring values can sharpen segmentation in luxury auto market. Journal of Advertising Research, 35 (January/February), 9–22.

    Google Scholar 

  • Swinnerton, K.A. & Wial, H. (1995). Is job stability declining in the U.S. economy? Industrial and Labor Relations Review, 48, 293–304.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tilly, C. (1996). Half a job: Bad and good part-time jobs in a changing labor market. Philadelphia: Temple University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Uncles, M.D. & Ehrenberg, A.C. (1990). Brand choices of older consumers. Journal of Advertising Research, 30 (August/September), 19–22.

    Google Scholar 

  • U. S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census (1996). Statistical abstract of the U.S. 1996. Washington: Government Printing Office.

    Google Scholar 

  • U. S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census (1995). Statistical abstract of the U.S. 1995. Washington: Government Printing Office.

    Google Scholar 

  • U. S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census (1994). Statistical abstract of the U.S. 1994. Washington: Government Printing Office.

    Google Scholar 

  • U. S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census (1993). Statistical abstract of the U.S. 1993. Washington: Government Printing Office.

    Google Scholar 

  • U. S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census (1992). Statistical abstract of the U.S. 1992. Washington: Government Printing Office.

    Google Scholar 

  • U. S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census (1991). Statistical abstract of the U.S. 1991. Washington: Government Printing Office.

    Google Scholar 

  • U. S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census (1990). Statistical abstract of the U.S. 1990. Washington: Government Printing Office.

    Google Scholar 

  • Walker, J.R. & Ferguson, D. (1998). The commercial television industry. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

    Google Scholar 

  • Willey, M & Rice, S.A. (1933). Communication agencies and social life. New York: McGraw-Hill.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wirth, M.O. & Bloch, H. (1995). Industrial organization theory and media industry analysis. The Journal of Media Economics, 8(2), 15–26.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wood, W.C. (1986). Consumer spending on the mass media: The principle of relative constancy reconsidered. Journal of Communication, 36 (Spring) 39–51.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wood, W.C., & O’Hare, S.L. (1991). Paying for the video revolution: Consumer spending on the mass media. Journal of Communication, 41 (Winter), 24–30.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Widgery, R., Angur, M.G. & Nataraajan, R. (1997). The impact of employment status on married women’s perceptions of advertising message appeals. Journal of Advertising Research, 37 (January/February), 54–62.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, Z. & Gelb, B.D. (1996). Matching advertising, appeals to culture: The influence of products’ use conditions. Journal of Advertising, 25 (Fall), 29–46.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Fordham University Graduate School of Business Administration, 113 W 60th St., 10023, New York, NY

    Albert N. Greco (associate professor)

Authors
  1. Albert N. Greco
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Albert N. Greco.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Greco, A.N. Domestic consumer expenditures for consumer books: 1984–1994. Pub Res Q 14, 12–28 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12109-998-0030-7

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12109-998-0030-7

Keywords

Search

Navigation