The erosion of the unusual susceptibility defense: The case of the disadvantaged consumer

Marketing practitioners and academics have exhibited an increased concern for the problems of disadvantaged consumers in recent years. During the same time period, the product liability field has become increasingly volatile. In this article the overlap between these two seemingly independent trends is presented via hypothetical case examples. A decision process to guide marketers who potentially deal with disadvantaged market segments is outlined and discussed. The implications of these developments are also described in detail.