LIFESTYLE

noun and adjective Also written life-style (Business World) (Lifestyle and Leisure) In marketing jargon: noun: The sum total of the likes and dislikes of particular customers or a section of the market, as expressed in the products that they would buy to fit their self-image and way of life; a marketing strategy based on the idea of appealing to this sense of self-image and way of life. adjective: Using or belonging to this strategy of marketing; (of a product) fitting into or conceived as part of such a strategy, appealing to a customer's sense of lifestyle. Etymology: A specialized use of the compound noun lifestyle in the sense 'way of life', itself a concept of the sixties. History and Usage: The concept of lifestyle merchandising goes back to at least the beginning of the eighties, but was particularly in evidence in the second half of the decade, as advertisers attempted to cash in on and shape the demand for fashion goods, interior decorations, foods, and sports equipment that expressed the new awareness of lifestyle. In consequence lifestyle came to be used over-freely and imprecisely in marketing, sometimes ending up as an almost meaningless adjectival 'filler'. At the same time a movement in the very opposite direction, away from conspicuous consumption and consumerism, was also under way; this movement, influenced by A. H. Dammers' book Lifestyle, urged a simpler and greener lifestyle on Western societies. Both the consumers of yuppie lifestyle products and the followers of this movement towards simplicity have been called lifestylers. Being a meat-free lifestyler on Gozo is no problem. Lean Living Feb.-Mar. 1987, p. 4 Creative talents in marketing have grasped the concept of lifestyle so insistently that it is changing the face of the high street, the commercials break, even the media. Creative Review Jan. 1988, p. 14 B & Q is targeting the 'lifestyle' market with...quick-drying acrylic paints...in tins featuring illustrations of country house interiors. Design Week 26 May 1989, p. 6 Swissair has gone life-style with its series of 'customer portraits' (would you buy a second-hand seat from this man?). International Management Mar. 1990, p. 60