ENGAGING WITH PROMOTIONAL CULTURE - ORGANIZED CONSUMERISM AND THE PERSONAL FINANCIAL SERVICES INDUSTRY

The UK's expanding personal financial services sector has been the sit e of allegations of widespread professional malpractice. In response, the Consumers' Association has begun to scrutinise financial products and services more closely. The personal financial sector is a promotio nal culture, in which information and persuasion are inextricably link ed. It appears, therefore, to be a prime target for the Consumers' Ass ociation, whose mission is to supply consumers with objective informat ion uncontaminated by commercial self-interest. The argument in this a rticle is that key features of the Consumers' Association - its gesell schaftlich character, mass-market orientation, reverence for the ideal of professionalism, faith in regulation, and Fordist research methodo logy - limit its capacity both to mount an effective evaluation of per sonal financial products and services and to create an informed public .