There is a debate in marketing on the question of whether or not marketing creates or satisfies consumer’s needs. Marketing has often been defined in terms of satisfying customer’s wants and needs and some critics maintain that marketing goes beyond that and creates needs and wants that did not exist before. According to these critics, marketers encourage consumers to spend more money than they should on goods and services they really do not need. Consider the broad shifts in marketing. Are there any themes that emerge in these shifts? Can they be related to the major societal forces? Which force has contributed to which shift.