Ž . Intern. J. of Research in Marketing 15 1998 169–180 The changing consumer in Finland Pirjo Laaksonen a, ) , Martti Laaksonen a , Kristian Moller b ¨ a Department of Marketing, UniÕersity of Vaasa, P.O. Box 700, 65101 Vaasa, Finland b Department of Marketing, Helsinki School of Economics and Business Administration, Helsinki, Finland Accepted 4 September 1997 Abstract Finland constitutes a rare laboratory for investigating the impact of substantial economic change on consumption and consumer behavior. Like most European countries Finland enjoyed almost 10 years of constant economic growth during the 1980s. Within 2–3 years the economy suffered the deepest depression since the Great Depression. Consumption was cut by 10% between 1989 and 1992 and unemployment increased from 3.3% in 1990 to 17.7% in 1994, unheard-of figures in the wealthy Nordic countries. We examine the impact of these economic changes on Finnish consumption and marketing. One prominent finding is that not only consumption patterns but also consumers’ values rapidly adjusted to the change. Another major theme we discuss is the consequences of Finland’s joining the European Union for the markets and competition in Finland. q 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. 1. Introduction The period in focus, the early 1980s to mid-1990s, forms a suitable field laboratory for investigating the dynamics of consumption and marketing behavior in Finland. At the end of the 1980s it was common to hear media comments to the effect that Finland was the Japan of Europe. This was a result of the excep- tionally long period of economic growth that made Finland one of the fastest growing economies in Europe, the country climbing into the top ten economies in terms of per capita GNP. However, at the turn of this decade a rapid change took place. The economic development was zero in Ž . 1990 unemployment only 3.3% but developed into ) Corresponding author. Fax: q358-6-3248195; e-mail: pirjo.laaksonen@macpost.uwasa.fi. the deepest depression during 1991–1994 when the unemployment rate was as high as 17.7%. After two devaluations and after letting her currency float, the country reached a turning point in 1994 with exports leading to a positive economic development that has continued in 1995 and 1996. However, the unem- ployment rate in Finland was still 15.7% in 1996 Ž . Statistics Finland, 1997 . Those changes in the economic conditions be- tween 1985 and 1995 influenced Finnish consumers in both material and psychological terms. It affected their consumption power and their pattern of con- sumption and it influenced consumers’ orientation to consumption in general. The dramatic economic change did not take place in a vacuum. Its influence on consumption behavior and marketing practices should be investigated in the context of the long-term socioeconomic and cultural characteristics of Fin- land. 0167-8116r98r$19.00 q 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. Ž . PII S0167-8116 97 00033-5