DNA Consultants Home of the DNA Fingerprint

In a paper to be delivered at the American Marketing Association's meeting in Washington in June, Elizabeth C. Hirschman estimates that the number of people who have purchased a DNA test now exceeds 1.5 million. Her work suggests that the value of the market (excluding paternity testing) in 2011 will reach nearly $150 million in sales. That seems like too big an industry to escape government oversight, and it's true that several scientists have targeted the direct-to-the-consumer DNA testing business for criticism, particularly personal genomics companies like 23andme.

Before another academic grant gets written to send out another industry questionnaire, however, marketing professionals and public policy analysts ought to have a look at Hirschman's new case study, destined, we think, to become a classic. "Altruistic Economics and Consumer Cooperatives in the DNA Marketspace" sketches a vibrant picture of DNA test takers busy following up on their results in social networking sites like DNA Communities and even joining in the design process for product improvements by the leaders in the industry. No unhappy campers there!

The proof of the pudding is in the eating. Rather than mount yet another policy making roundtable, would-be regulators should just order some of the DNA tests available from today's leading companies and judge for themselves how accurate or valuable or harmful they are. That makes a lot more sense than writing another food review for a restaurant they do not intend to patronize, or for a cuisine that is not to their taste.

The AMA's Marketing and Public Policy Conference is the premier national and international event for marketing academics, public policy makers, and marketing practitioners interested in social and public policy.

Another point made by the paper is that "The industry has completed the introduction, early growth stages and consolidation phase of its life cycle . . . . It is a mature field facing few new technology thresholds, and it is still very much confined to the United States, Canada and England." That having been said, it may be too late to regulate the industry. It seems to be doing fine all by itself. Like the pharmaceutical and computer industries, the DNA marketspace is an American phenomenon we should all just basically let thrive and be proud of.

Altruistic Economics and Consumer Cooperatives in the DNA Marketspace