Branding in a world of greater choice.

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One consumer trend projected by marketing gurus foresees managerial institutions taking over consumers' decision-making responsibilities.

People will choose a company to help them define their lifestyle. Once they've settled into a lifestyle category, the company will make their consumer choices for them, from shampoos to utilities providers.

Those individuals who don't fit into any lifestyle category will live on the fringes of society, unable to access products of high quality and good value -- a scary scenario, at best.