Materialism is a doctrine that posits matter as the sole existing substance, relegating thought and consciousness to the status of secondary effects or superficial appearances. By emphasizing science, materialism rejects the idea of ​​God’s existence or an afterlife. Its origins can be traced back to Democritus (460-370 BC) and his mechanistic materialist theory (atomism), but it was with Lenin, Engels, and Marx that it gained widespread popularity. These thinkers emphasized that conflicts and contradictions stem from the material realm, not from ideological or spiritual considerations.

Applied to the fields of marketing and consumption, materialism manifests as a desire to accumulate goods, an aspiration that consumers may feel. According to Richard Ladwein, it is defined as “the tendency of individuals to value material goods or possessions.” Individuals described as materialistic are those who invest deeply in the opportunities offered by consumer society, seeing it as a means to flourish and achieve their full potential.