MKT305 Midterm I

retribalization

-ex: Raves -> no real structure, you assume a special id within the liminal space -intense emotional feelings shared with others, feel connected, then disperse in a spontaneous matter -> an escape from rules -grateful dead example, parking lot report, dead heads, cross-generational -they allowed pics & vids to be shared, wanted to spread the word

John Muir: promoting the "wilderness myth"

-good writer, keeps journal, starts to get published in newspapers -public speaker for NATURE -frontier being tamed buildings, farms, etc. -made it his duty to protect that -humans revitalize themselves in nature, where will we go? -yosemite protected bc of his writings that convinced teddy Roosevelt to name it a national park and shut down the enterprises starting to move there -woody (Woodrow) Wilson national park service

immanent danger

-guides emphasize the immanent danger of the river to intensify emotions and feelings of self-renewal -the trip provides recurrent encounters with potentially dangerous situations that are overcome through team work & acquired skill -plays on different risk perceptions of experts and novices Clients internalize the sense of danger and obstacles overcome, contributing to a sense of personal intensification and renewal

personal growth and self-renewal

-guides manage clients' progressive mastery of novel skills and challenges Consistent with many clients' articulated expectations, guides help clients acquire new skills. Demonstrating the use of safety equipment, paddling techniques, methods of tying down equipment, encouraging the use of the duckies and attempts to guide the paddle boats, cooking on a camp fire, and so on are among the myriad ways in which guides use props to "provide new challenges" and "make things fun." Progressive mastery over novel things and tools begins at the put-in and continues throughout the trip

what makes the river magical script "magical"?

-guides orchestrate magical experiences through story telling and ritual practices that invoke the "magic of nature" -tourist guides story telling makes the journey/tour to the destination more grandeur/exciting -script is experienced (by customers) as a spontaneous and authentic process -predictability and standardization are antithetical to magical, extraordinary customer experiences -guides seen as having an authentic passion for nature that is reflected in their stories and actions not just going through the motions - -script plays out in a liminal setting -exist outside the normal, everyday, routine spheres of life -involves taking on "special" social roles and identities -entering a liminal space helps to create a receptivity to the sacred and the magical if expectations are not reached, consumers really disappointed -unfamiliarity + surprise is a component to the magical aspect to the magic script. Ex. 1st time as a kid @ Disney world.

Importance of studying brandfests

-highlights the role of neo-tribal experiences in building brand community ties -geographic proximity among brand community members -temporary periods of context-rich (face-to-face) interaction -bw hard core members and peripheral and even non-members of the community -reveals the broader network of relations that constitute a brand community

meaning transfer and star trek

-identity value (personal and communal) -the enduring popularity of star trek is due to the underlying mythology -utopian vision of the future and a life philosophy (infinite diversity in infinite combinations) -egalitarianism -commitment to the greater good -liberating power of technology -heroic exploration and discovery -solidarity and loyalty

rites of intensification (building community among clients)

-increase the emotional intensity of links bw persons who share a pilgrimage experience -story telling and sharing of "river rat" knowledge -references to "river gods", "river karma", reading nature's signs, identifying sacred native American landmarks on river course -orchestrating team-building challenges: working as a team -managing shifts bw calm, meditative states and challenging, risk-laden activities -meditation states at night: ex. Telling stories, what they liked/didn't like

more on gift giving (a lucrative exchange ritual)

-social functions of gift giving -acknowledges important personal achievements, biographical moments, life transition points, and social contributions -communicates meanings about giver to receiver -good taste, thoughtful, feelings of affection and appreciation -money tends to be a poor gift in terms of its ritual function -creates and strengthens social ties and bonds -inappropriate gifts can have the opposite effect -norms of reciprocity and interpersonal obligation -gifts create a sense of "moral debt" -reluctantly helping my friend move -reflects social status and hierarchies -boxing day (originated with wealthy landowners giving gift boxes to servants, later became a day where employers were expected to provide gifts to workers, now a workers' holiday and retail "sale" day

communitas

-strong emotional bonds that link a group together in feelings of common cause, shared experiences, and a collective identity -guides facilitate communitas through -norms of cooperation, presenting opportunities for helping behaviors, and team building exercises, shared challenges and risks -unpleasant turn-of-events can have community creating power -rites of passage, integration, and intensification also contribute to the co-creation of a collectively shared identity where guide is seen as friend and quasi-spiritual leader

communion with nature (spiritual)

-subtly cued by guides actions and affective responses to natural scenes examples: staying up to watch the moon, being on "river" time (wake up when sun comes up), pointing out a particular attraction within nature (cool native american beach?idk)

Tribalism, community, and consumption

-maffesoli Consumer Tribes -modernization fosters a sense of "alienation" -more impersonal and rationalized -urbanization/suburbanization -geographic mobility -demands to be productive and responsible -standardization of consumer experiences -convenience and personal control tends to reduce sociality -re-tribalization (maffesoli's neotribalization) -consumption tribes -spaces in which intense but temporary social connections and shared emotional experiences can be constituted -an escape into a state of liminality - anti-structure -spontaneous, in the moment, transient, and shared by "fluid" groups -freedom from everyday norms and social hierarchies -celebrated as an escape from alienation -maffesoli viewed the commercial marketplace as a source of alienation that needed to be "escaped" -mass produced goods, rationalized shopping malls, and social conformity -discounts the positive role consumption and marketplace practices can have in generating experiences of communitas Consumer culture can isolate us and break down normal social interactions

marketplace cultures and liminal experiences

-marketplace cultures- transient social spaces where the often alienating and individualizing effects of everyday modern life in advanced industrialized societies can be temporarily ameliorated in favor of the effervescent excitement and energy of ritualistic, communal sociality and solidarity -the use of commercial goods and services to generate "linking value" and liminal experiences -orchestrated experiences of "river magic" -UK club scene study, contained egalitarian -> liminal space use of ecstacy & pot, safe space, what happens in club, stays in the club, young urban professionals are the main people at the clubs -sky diving or surfing consumption community -harley-davidson brand community

tough mudder

-mirrors sky divers motivations for high risk consumption -compensating from alienation from body, lack of drama, stress -the ritualization of pain experience whitening - a mystical state where people leave the rest of the world in abeyance.

boundary open transactions

-more informal, more intimate, and more self-revealing than conventional market exchanges (boundary closed) -positions the exchange in the gift economy rather than market economy

meaning transfer model

-movement of meaning -culturally constituted world -cultural categories -cultural values & ideals

limitations of maslow's model

-multiple motivations might simultaneously co-exist -hedonic, normative, and efficacy -assumes motivation is a unidimensional state -interrelated and co-evolving dimensions -overlooks cultural differences in consumer motivation -subcultural differences -does not address the socialization processes through which individuals' motivations can evolve over time -acculturation into a risk-oriented consumption community *the implication of Maslow's hiearachy is that one must first satisfy basic needs before progressing up the ladder. This suggests that consumers value different product attributes depending upon what is currently available to them. Also may be restricted to a highly rational, materialistic, and individualistic Western culture

vitamin water case study on culture depicted through consumed goods

-outdoor workers thought it was vitamins and water but were surprised when read the label and saw how much sugar was in it and not much vitamins -silicon valley people saw it as the apple of beverages and even used it as a fashion accessory; matching the color of the drink to their outfit -aesthetics reflected brand message -taking vitamins and drinking water are trusted health practices -not Gatorade, not Snapple, not blah innovation by creating a distinctive subcategory -alternative beverage category (marketing)

key findings from studying brandfests

-participation in brandfests enhances or generates brand community characteristics -consciousness of Kind -peripheral members become MORE integrated into the community -us versus them boundaries dissolve -brand becomes situated in social networks (weak ties become strong ties) -moral responsibility -outreach efforts by experienced members to help newbies; -newbies feel greater affiliation and reciprocal obligation to the brand community -experienced members enjoy the status gained by their expertise and knowledge -shared rituals and traditions -learning rituals and stories through social immersion and corporate-sponsored literature and training -creates a stock of shared knowledge and experiences -IBC increases consumer concern over the welfare of the company and desires to contribute to its success

consumer's post-trip narratives

-perceptions of having had a transformative experience -emphasis on themes of communion with nature, communitas, personal growth, and self-renewal -revealed a weak link bw a prior expectations and post-trip feelings of satisfaction -pre-trip expectations: -vague concerns over safety -vague expectations about a pristine, non-commercialized wilderness -expected feelings of serenity (rather than thrill and challenge) -did not anticipate the affective role of the guides -did not anticipate the communal aspects of the experience -negative deviations from initial expectations had little bearing on satisfaction

Why do consumers take risks?

-personality trait / neuropsychological explanation -fewer receptors for dopamine in the brains of high risk takers -cultural influence/socialization explanation -consumers seek out risk in response to alienated and predictable everyday life routines -cultures can encourage & reward risk taking behavior

commercial appropriation of a countercultural style: Hypebeast

-pop up stores dropping new products at this warehouse from this time on this day -only place you could get it exclusivity created secondary market make profits by selling it bc high demand and low supply -supreme -use fashion bloggers / opinion leaders (ppl identified as ppl on social media that are style leaders) -street style authenticity -went from selling drugs to selling clothes legitimate business

benefits to sponsoring company and brand

-post brandfest benefits -brand evangelists carry the marketing message into other communities and to other consumers in their social networks -can seed a grass roots word of mouth marketing campaign -can motivate trading up among existing owners and recruiting new customers to the brand -more forgiving of product failures or lapses of service quality -less apt to switch brands, even when confronted with superior performance by competing products -more motivated to provide information and feedback to corporation -constitute a strong market for licensed products and brand extensions -loyal customers may even make long-term investments in a company's stock

the gift economy

-premised on the ideals of selflessness, social or communal enhancement, altruistic (rather than instrumental) motives -sharing wealth/resources takes precedence over acquisition -often celebrated as representing higher ideals than economic exchange (i.e., the market economy) -examples -open source software -corporate social responsibility leverages some gift economy ideals -consumption communities often organized around gift economy ideals -sharing of resources -alternative market systems often involve gift economy ideals -local artisans versus corporate chains

marketing extension of boundary open transactions: commercial friendships

-resemble conventional friendships in terms of norms of affection, intimacy, social support, loyalty (keep going back to them), reciprocal self-disclosure, and gift giving -resemble conventional normal friendships -commercial setting places boundaries on sociability and moral obligations examples: my hairdresser @ sports clip and kyle dealer

alternative perspective: satisfaction as an emergent process

-satisfaction can be an evolving relationship bw consumer and product over time -extended service relationships -consumer relationships to technological products -pre-purchase expectations are less significant to long term perceptions of satisfaction in these consumption contexts -emergent satisfaction is driven by -enjoyable user experiences -integration into daily routines -emotional and identify-based outcomes -social consequences

more about gift giving: self gifts & therapy

-self gifts -transferring an interpersonal ritual into a personal identity practice -provides a cultural license for indulgence -enhancing self-identity or repairing self-identity -types of self-gifts -reward -a consumerist reworking of the Protestant work ethic -I worked hard to accomplish a goal so I deserve a reward -therapy -identify repair and emotion management -cheering oneself up after negative life events and emotional downturns

Fashion world works in three distinct ways to transfer meaning to goods:

1) Similar in character and effect that is performed by advertising- same effort to conjoin aspects of the world and a consumer good 2) Invent new cultural meanings in a modest way - undertaken by (distant) opinion leaders who help shape and refine existing cultural meaning, encouraging the reform of cultural categories and principles. 3) Fashion system engages in the radical reform of cultural meanings. This is due to the fact that western societies are hot societies, meaning they willingly accept, indeed encourage, the radical changes that result from deliberate human effort and the effect of anonymous social forces. Cultural meaning is constantly undergoing systematic change in these societies.

Cultural meaning is located in three places:

1) The culturally constituted world 2) The consumer good 3) The individual consumer

2 points of transfer:

1) World to good 2) Good to individual Cultural meaning flows continually bw its several locations in the social world, aided by the collective and individual efforts of designers, producers ,advertisers, and consumers.

4 characteristics of extraordinary experience

1) communitas 2) communion with nature 3) personal growth and self-renewal 4) immanent danger

3 rites of passage steps

1) separation - individual is detached from his or her original group or status 2)transition/transformation (liminality)- person is literally in between statuses 3) re-integration (aggregation) - takes place when the person re-enters society after the rite of passage is complete

tribal marketing: 4 types of social actors

1) sympathizers -> imaginary (trends) 2) participants -> occasions (gatherings) 3) practitioners --> everyday life (day-to-day practices) 4) adherents or devotees --> institutions (associations and sects)

maslow's hierarchy: classic humanistic view of motivation- five levels?

5) self-actualization (growth needs) 4) esteem 3) love/belonging 2) safety 1) physiological *1-4 deficiency needs

meaning transfer model:

Advertising, the fashion system, and consumer rituals have been identified as the means by which meaning is drawn out of, and transferred between, the three locations where meaning resides (culturally constituted world, consumer good, individual consumer). Advertising and the fashion system move meaning from the culturally constituted world to consumer goods. consumer rituals move meaning from the consumer good to the consumer.

a sampling of countercultural styles

a sampling of countercultural styles ppl see rap as a movement coming out of the Bronx and nyc and from ppl (black and latinos) that were being oppressed. Really a form of protest that drew from different genres. Over time rap got picked up by fashion and music industry and was transformed from political protest / musical outcry , to meanings of rebellion and blah

possession rituals

any effort to personalize a new possession -modifying, discussing, comparing, reflecting upon, showing off, photographing, and sharing via social media -customizing consumption and mass customization -ikea regards consumer co-creation as key component of its value chain -redecorating new living or office space -investing self-identity into the object an act of customizing or personalizing a product in a way that makes it seem more genuinely yours (part of the "me" rather than the "not me"). For our purposes, you can think of possession rituals as a process of personalizing goods; that is making them seem more fully yours. Some simple examples might include redecorating your first home or your apartment you have just moved into (to the extent your landlord allows). A related ritual is throwing a housewarming party when you move into a new house. Other examples include when people customize possessions, such as having vanity license plates put on their car or putting a personally meaningful screen saver (such as a picture of a significant person in one's life) on their computer.

Cultural principles

are the organizing ideas by which he segmentation is performed. They are the charter assumptions that allow all cultural phenomena to be distinguished, ranked, and interrelated.

the social psychology of consumer satisfaction

arnould and price found that satisfaction can be constructed after the fact as consumers reflect on the unexpected and emotionally engaging aspects of their experience Dimensions of extraordinary experience manifest themselves in the themes of harmony with nature, communitas, and personal growth and renewal. These experiential themes are evidenced across all the data; they evolve and are woven together over the course of the trip. Together, the three themes are significant in explaining overall satisfaction. Both qualitative and quantitative results support the value of viewing the themes as an interactive gestalt instead of trying to separate the contributions of the three themes. -diverges from primary explanation of customer satisfaction -disconfirmation of expectations theory

Advertising works as a potential method of meaning transfer by

bringing the consumer good and a representation of the culturally constituted world together within the frame of a particular advertisement.

CCT: cosplay example

costume play - is the practice of crafting outfits based on popular cultural source material and wearing them at related events such as comic book conventions, or "cons", fashion shows, organized competitions and social media videos. -skilled cosplayers don't just wear the same outfit as a beloved character; they adopt the same mannerisms, posture and accent, embodying the character rather than just imitating.

rites of integration (building relationships with guide)

enhance the perceived intimacy and authenticity of the relationship bw service provider and client boundary open transactions & commercial friendships Rites of integration are defined as "planned social interactions that consolidate various forms of cultural artifacts (language, displayed emotions, gestures, symbols, and the physical setting) with the objective of achieving 'a temporary sense of closeness' between 'potentially divergent' subsystems"

Cultural categories

fundamental coordinates of meaning, representing the basic distinctions that a culture uses to divide up the phenomenal world. Third characteristic of cultural categories in contemporary north America; they are subject to constant and rapid change. Very dynamic. Members of a culture are constantly engaged in the construction - the constitution - of the world they live in. Objects contribute to the construction of the culturally constituted world precisely because they are a vital, tangible record of cultural meaning that is otherwise intangible

distant opinion leaders

individuals who by virtue of birth, beauty, or accomplishment are held in high esteem. Sources of meaning for individuals of lesser standing.

Ritual

is a kind of social action devoted to the manipulation of cultural meaning for purposes of collective and individual communication and categorization. Ritual is an opportunity to affirm, evoke, assign, or revise the conventional symbols and meanings of the cultural order. To this extent, ritual is a powerful and versatile tool for the manipulation of cultural meaning. a set of multiple, symbolic behaviors that occur in a fixed sequence and that tend to be repeated periodically. Many contemporary consumer activities are ritualistic

Ritual artefacts

items used in the performance of rituals, to consumers. (birthday candles, diplomas, specialized food, trophies, retirement watches etc.)

grooming rituals

like before going out you have a process for getting ready Grooming rituals are used to effect the continual transfer of perishable properties - properties likely to fade when possessed by the consumer. Grooming rituals allow the consumer to "freshen" the properties he draws from the goods.

Grooming rituals

personal and possession grooming -personal grooming signals important transition moments and events -movement from private to public realm: producing the "public self" -vast number of personal care products are tied to personal grooming rituals -grooming of symbolically significant objects as a personal investment (cars, lawns, clothing, pets) -grooming rituals can be a way to restore a desired sense of newness (pristine, clean, fully functioning) to the object

consumers purchase self-gifts as a way to

regulate their behavior- a reason to give themselves something - a "treat". Socially acceptable way of rewarding themselves for good deeds or accomplishing some goal.

Divestment rituals

ways of separating material goods from one's identity -removing customizing details from good or living or work space -selling goods via secondary market: extracting value from identity investment -passing on collections: curatorial consumers and cross-generational transfers -throwing away as a divestment ritual of a disposable society which values newness -freecycle network: a social movement to create new divestment rituals for unwanted goods

Exchange rituals

ways of transferring value substantiated in the material "good" -conventional retail vs ebay exchange rituals -gift giving: embeds goods in norms of reciprocity and interpersonal meaning

divestment rituals

when purchase a used good, this ritual is used to erase the meaning associated with the previous owner. Cleaning and redecorating may be seen as an effort to remove the meaning created by the previous owner. Goods that are given away or sold also must be emptied of meaning before being passed along and cleared of meaning when taken on. divestment rituals are used to empty goods of meaning so that meaning-loss or meaning-contagion cannot take place. **All of These rituals move meaning from goods to consumer.

The fashion system is less frequently observed, studied, and understood as an instrument of meaning movement, yet this system also serves as a means by

which goods are systematically invested and divested of meaningful properties. The fashion system is a somewhat more complicated instrument for meaning movement than advertising.

brand/Consumption community: Star Trek

-the OG brand/consumption community -original cosplay was star trek fans (star trekkers) -NBC didn't know that the people who were fans were super dedicated & flooded NBC with letters wanting the shows back -> got media attention -> more people start writing letters -late 1960s, early 70s -> TVs in homes main sources of entertainment *only 3 networks: NBC, CBC, 1 more -didn't create much content so purchased retired old shows to play as fillers -Star Trek became main one -people/fans started having viewing parties & dressing up -fans mad no more shows coming out so they wrote their own scripts & made art, books, props -expanding community & made their own language -Quentitn Taratino making first R-rated Star Trek movie -producers have built in fan created stuff into the films -Star Trek fans drove internet advancements bc they had access to computers through their jobs -not letting them play with the brand & co-create is a short term market strategy bc that actually builds the brand

skydiving as a high risk consumption community

-the skydive as a scripted dramatic performance -choreography -ascent -exit -freefall -under the canopy -postperformance rituals -tribal identity based on a background of shared beliefs, experiences, and knowledge -terminology and embodied skills -rites of passage -enables the tribal identity to transcend conventional social categories -social hierarchy based in in-group accomplishments and competencies -liminality -setting for communitas and transformations of self -each skydive itself, in microcosm, can be seen as a liminal state bw two environmental statuses-physical contact with the earth, plane, or parachute versus free-fall. In this sense, a liminal experience is replicable to all skydivers with each jump -each dive is a liminal experience -the social world and spatial location for the tribal activity is also liminal

cultural meanings transferred through river rafting

-the wilderness myth -wilderness as transcendent force -mirrors God's divine power and offers a way to connect with the sacred -wilderness as a restorative force that heals the stress-induced ills of metropolitan life (John Muir) -wilderness as a source of personal empowerment -provides challenges that builds character and self-confidence -wilderness as a threatened refuge that must be protected (John Muir) -moral duty to protect these sacred and/or irreplaceable spaces from being despoiled by civilization

cultural categories

-ways that members of a culture organize (and classify) objects, people, activities, etc. as sharing defining commonalities. -ex: foods to eat for breakfast, things to do on a first date, animals that are good to eat -marketing innovations often involve remapping cultural categories -cultural categories are dynamic -food (fast, slow, fast casual, lite, comfort, gluten free) -cigs vs e-cigs -vaping rituals -technology categories -amazon alexa vs google assistant -fashion categories -different levels of specificity via subcategories -experts tend to have more refined category systems -embedded in cultural narratives -the romantic evening versus night out with friends -contextually framed -things to buy for a super bowl party or Halloween party

acquires tastes: zajonc and markus (1982)

-we carry certain tastes that reflect the culture we live in -nobody naturally likes to feel burning sensation (chili pepper) -come to like it through socialized process -cultivated a taste for beer didn't like it originally / first time trying it touchpads were being made fun of (apple) commercial was satirical and funny (ipads) forgotten how to use catalogs

Two institutions that are now used as instruments of meaning transfer from the culturally constituted world to consumer goods:

1) Advertising 2) Product design as practiced in the fashion system

arnould and thompson's CCT framework is a heuristic mapping of consumer culture along four interrelated theoretical dimensions:

1) Consumer identity projects 2) Marketplace cultures 3) The sociohistoric patterning of consumption 4) Media representations and consumers' interpretive strategies

4 major types of marketplace cultures and their respective characteristics:

1) Consumer tribes 2) Consumption communities 3) Brand communities 4) Brand publics

Long story short, Culture constitutes the world by supplying it with meaning. This meaning can be characterized in terms of two concepts:

1) Cultural categories 2) Cultural principles

In contemporary north America, ritual is used to transfer cultural meaning from goods to individuals. Four types of rituals are used to serve this purpose:

1) Exchange 2) Possession 3) Grooming 4) Divestment rituals

Culture constitutes the phenomenal world in two ways:

1) It is the lens through which the individual views phenomena; how it will be apprehended and assimilated 2) Culture is the blueprint of human activity, determining the co-ordinates of social action and productive activity and specifying the behaviors and objects that issue from both

two category of agents in fashion system:

1) Product designer 2) Fashion journalists and social observers *both work together and are instruments for the transfer of meaning from the culturally constituted world to consumer goods. they are the means by which meaning in invested in the object code.

H&M commercial

-be yourself, shows a lot of ppl doing things that break stereotypes -but recycle your clothes

use value

the functional benefits offered by a good or service

flow

-an engaging psychological state of intense engagement and focused attention where there is an optimal balance bw skill level and the challenges of the task -too little drama = abilities > challenges boredom and alienation -too much drama (stress) = challenges > abilities anxiety -experienced sky divers attain flow through planned "edgework" -relevant to other high risk leisure activities -differs from adrenalin junkie explanation

River "magic": what is magic?

-anthropologic definition: ritualistic activities that address humanity's relationship to nature and/or people's relationships to each other -channel immaterial forces transform the self or the social group or accomplish tangible goals -requires person to put themselves in the proper state -associated with experiences of extraordinariness -feng shui - interior design principles, office building being built -consumers use of "alternative", "natural", or "holistic" health remedies -magical thinking and weight loss - magical thinking when trying to lose weight fat burn pills and all that dumb stuff (diet/pills) keeps hope alive even though science proves it doesn't work

Brand Communities: overview

-a brand community is a specialized, non-geographically bound community, based on a structured set of social relationships -specialized bc its linking point is a branded good or service -apple, Harley Davidson, jeep -non-geographical -> geographically liberated perspective -mass media, communication, and computer technologies easily allow communities to transcend geographic distance (communities need not be face to face) -imagined community - feeling a sense of connection and commonality to individuals that you do not "know" through direct face-face interactions and relationships -membership in a brand community can cut across conventional social categories such as class, gender, or age cohort -difference to other types of consumption communities -members of consumption communities tend to be more suspicious of marketing and commercialism and sometimes view it as unwanted commercialization -brands often have to make outreaches and invest in the community to gain trust and acceptance -tribal marketing strategy -members of brand communities tend to accept the necessity of commercialism in their communal identity and are proactively interested in marketing activities related to the brand -discussing advertisements, using ad copy in messages, and monitoring corporate strategies is a commonplace brand community activity -virtual communities allow for monitoring consumer attitudes (online research) and interacting with core customer base -many co-creation activities are directed at grass roots marketing campaigns -fan made advertisements -brand communities can also be a source of resistance to marketing strategies that they dislike -porsche brand community's core members rejection of the Porsche cayenne --Porsche is male oriented -cayenne introduced -> female soccer mom car -> hard core make brand community members upset & despise it -communities can transcend geographic differences -activist groups -> we're all in this together -> all humans on Earth think -> think on global cosmopolitan scale, global identity -> environment & national disaster groups

cultural complexity

-a given culture has dominant or core values that are widely shared and reproduced across different contexts -in US, dominant values include: -independence & individualism -not a collectivist culture -mastery over nature -technophilia -dominant values also give rise to opposing or countervailing values and ideals which create potential for cultural contradictions -in US, countervailing values include -emphasis on community and self-sacrifice for the greater good -anxiety over negative consequences of technology -technophobia

M.T.M is a material theory of culture

-abstract cultural values, ideals, and collective memories become most useful as resources for personal and collective identity when they take a material form -material goods substantiate cultural values and meanings -design of neighborhoods or living spaces -consumers incorporate (materially represented) cultural meanings into their lives through consumption rituals -ritual is an opportunity to affirm, evoke, assign, or revise the conventional symbols and meanings of the cultural order. Ritual is a powerful and versatile tool for the manipulation of cultural meaning" McCracken -symbolic actions that can take many forms -thanksgiving meal as a ritual of abundance -gift giving rituals -investing personal meaning and significance into "alienated" commercial goods -addresses the contradiction that material goods express our identity but most of our possessions are mass-produced -singularization or de-commodification -highlights that cultural meanings and values have to be put into practice to be meaningful in everyday life -incorporating important societal values and ideals into our daily routines -dining rituals: family dinners vs sacrosanct family dinners (thanksgiving, xmas) -going to the gym or the bar w co-workers after work (fitness and health vs sociability)

fournier & lee: getting brand communities right

-brand community is a business strategy -company wide effort -brand community serves its members -gift economy and "linking value" ideas -engineer the community correctly and the brand will be strong -types of social links -pools (imagined communities/often goal oriented) -webs (linking value) -hubs (charismatic figure or icon that anchors community) -strong brand communities leverage and coordinate all three social link types -embrace conflicts that make communities thrive -authors don't distinguish conflicts bw brand community members and an outside entity from those which arise within the brand community -oppositional brand loyalty (apple vs windows) -enhances in group boundaries and associations -porsche 911 owners hostility toward cayenne owners -creates in-group dividsions and divisiveness -brand communities are strongest when everyone plays a role -BCs are complex social groups constituted by multiple social roles -mentor, learner, historian, ambassador, accountant, etc. -requires more than just online tools -actual spaces for social interactions facilitate brand community links -brandfests -co-creation rather than strict management control of brand -deadhead example of concert "tapers" and artists making fan artwork

integration into brand community

-brandfests strengthen IBC -transfer positive affect to all things related to the Jeep brand (including dealerships) -enhances perceptions of product and brand -generate more positive feelings about corporation -corporation has been humanized -feelings of moral obligation toward gift giver -fosters stronger social bonds among jeep owners and identification with brand community

building brand community via brandfests

-brandfests: corporate-sponsored events offered for the benefit of the brand community -viewed as a gift from the sponsoring company -youtube video -> jeep jamboree, video from event, community comes together & talks/learns about Jeep -enables corporate management to interact directly with customers, share information, gain ideas, and put a human face on the marketing behind the brand.

commonalities among consumption & brand communities

-collective affiliations and identifications -shared cultural world -collectively shared rituals, knowledge, traditions, experiences -creates a sense of "imagined" unity and connection that can transcend over sources of social differences -class, age, gender, ethnicity, political orientation -one is socialized into a consumption and brand community -consumers build commitment over time by developing their knowledge and experiences; forging connections to others; and integrating these sources of linking value into their identities -deadheads, packer fans, tough mudders, etc. -investing in a volitional identity -one can participate in multiple consumption and brand communities -IDK these people but I feel connected to them -minorities will be welcomed into the group if love the brand too -transcends over sources of social differences -he noticed in sports team chat rooms that unity breaks down when policies are brought into the convo

Consumer culture theory: what is it?

-consumer culture theory is a field of inquiry that seeks to unravel the complexities of consumer culture, whether in terms of understanding the pain saturated identity quests of tough mudders; the creative endeavors of cosplayers, or the everyday consumption practices, lifestyle routines, and purchase decisions through which a given consumer enacts and expresses his/her identity

forms of marketplace cultures: consumer tribes, consumption community, brand community

-consumer tribes -highlights the importance of social gatherings and emotionally intensive, shared experiences -can facilitate more enduring communal ties -consumption community -linked together by a common interest or activity -can embrace multiple brand related to core activity -brand community -linked together by a communal brand -socially embedding the brand in communal activities and liminal experiences

why do consumers take risks: cultural explanation

-consumers are socialized in a dramatic world-view and seek to enact a dramatic script through consumption

disconfirmation of expectations theory

-consumers' degree of satisfaction (or dissatisfaction) is formed by a comparison bw perceived performance and "expected" performance -dissatisfaction: -product or service does not live up to expectations (negative disconfirmation) -satisfaction (as delight): -product or service exceeds expectations (positive disconfirmation) -satisfaction (as acceptability) * -product or service meets (favorable) expectations

(extended) service encounters and cultural scripts

-cultural scripts represent how events should unfold over time in a given setting -ex. The fast food restaurant script, the dentist office script, etc. -most service encounter scripts are predictable and offer few surprises -little chance for consumers to have magical experiences in standard service contexts

culture: the basics

-culture is: -a sense making "lens" for interpreting the world -shared values, ideals, meanings, categories, norms and social practices -driving a stick shift; smoking; riding in an elevator -cultural differences in emotions -acquired taste for chili peppers -how toddlers experience magazines in the iPad age -normative scripts that guide social action -how to be a "good" tourist -how to be a "good" parent -resources for identity construction (personal and collective) -symbolic meanings of goods and brands

culturally coded gender roles

-dad is a source of play -hungry make soup , it is easy -dad can have baby on the back but moms don't do that

Consumer culture theory (CCT): tough mudder example - paying to experience physical pain, why?

-dissociative, out of body experience, physical pain is a distraction and also good

elaborating on the drama model

-dramatic scripts increasingly prevalent in popular and social media -consumers are socialized to feel that "living life" means enacting dramatic scripts / taking risks -agon: the struggle or conflict that drives the dramatic script; binary mythic elements -(humanity versus nature, life vs death, freedom vs constraint) -denouement (climax): -the outcome of the main dramatic complication; the action(s) that resolve binary tensions -catharsis: dramatic release of enlivening/authenticating emotions -work life tends to lack such dramatic elements (risk taking/challenging) -bureaucratic organization of work -routinization and predictability -lack of control or efficacy regarding the course of events -individuals cope by viewing their jobs as means to fund their high risk leisure pursuits -dramatic challenge, efficacy, community, and control -skydivers make many references to feelings of boredom or stress emanating from work -skydiving provides a context for flow states -flow

6 brand community characteristics: 1) consciousness of kind 2) oppositional brand loyalty 3) legitimacy 4) rituals and shared traditions 5) celebrating the history of the brand 6) sharing brand stories

1) consciousness of Kind: a sense of commonality and of "sort of knowing other users" of the brand (we-ness) and sharing distinctive or special qualities 2) oppositional brand loyalty: the boundaries of the community are sometimes defined by an enemy brand(s) -an external threat or foe unities and solidifies communities -apple versus window, xbox versus playstation 3) legitimacy: hierarchy in the brand community based on time commitment and using it for the "right reasons" -reflect that communities can be hostile to those perceived as interlopers -long-time loyalist are heralded and faddists are stigmatized 4) rituals and shared traditions -greeting and salutation rituals -wrangler wave, minicooper wave, Harley salute 5) celebrating the history of the brand 6) sharing brand stories -the virus immunity of the mac -discussing advertisements, using ad copy in messages, and monitoring corporate developments -virtual communities and blogs are becoming an increasingly important tool for monitoring consumer attitudes (online research) and interacting with core customer base

4 key dimensions of consumer culture

1) consumer identity projects 2) marketplace cultures 3) socio-historic patterning of consumption 4) media representations and consumers' interpretive strategies

socialization into a marketplace culture: 3 stages of assimilation?

1) experimentation -weekend warriors; owners who are loosely affiliated with the Harley subculture -biker based media functions as a tool of socialization and community identity 2) identification and conformity to biker norms -becoming more involved in a biker world, building social connections, working to gain acceptance within this social sphere.. ex. Harley riders wearing little skull cap helmets to be a better rider 3) mastery and internalization of group norms and values -see biking as a way of life -> integrate it into their own identities becomes central facet of identity... not everyone gets to this level

gift giving ritual can be broken down into three distinct stages

1) gestation- giver is motivated by an event to procure a gift. can be either structural (prescribed by the culture) or emergent (decision is more personal and idiosyncratic) 2) presentation - process of gift exchange. recipent responds to the gift and the donor evaluates this response 3) reformulation- bonds bw the giver and receiver are adjusted to reflect the new relationship that emerges after the exchange is complete.

4 primary consumption rituals of meaning transfer

1) possession rituals 2) grooming rituals 3) exchange rituals 4) divestment rituals

3 rituals for enacting the commercial script

1) rites of passage (pilgrimage) 2) rites of intensification (building community among clients) 3) rites of integration (building relationships with guide)

Culture and consumption - McCracken

Consumer goods communicate cultural meaning Mccracken - anthropologist comes into marketing to study specific markets Original location of the cultural meaning that ultimately resides in consumer goods is the culturally constituted world. This is the world of everyday experience in which the phenomenal world presents itself to the individual's senses fully shaped and constituted by the beliefs and assumptions of his/her culture.

linking value of consumption

Consumers use marketplace resource to create meaningful social relationships and interactions with other like-minded consumers

NOW ONTO THE READINGS

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exchange rituals

one party chooses, purchases, and presents consumer goods to another. (birthday and xmas rituals). This movement of goods is also potentially a movement of meaningful properties. Often the gift-giver chooses a gift bc it possesses the meaningful properties s/he wishes to see transferred to the gift-receiver. Exchange rituals are used to direct goods charged w certain meaningful properties to those individuals the gift-giver supposes are needful of these properties

consumption code

see a Patagonia and you say oh theyre an outdoorsy person. The associations people make when they see what you consume shared knowledge about the cultural meanings associated with marketplace resources (brands, products, fashion styles, retailers)

possession rituals

showcasing your possessions and taking claim to their cultural meanings. By using these rituals, individuals move cultural meaning out of their goods and into their lives. . Possession rituals are practiced by an owner in order to retrieve a good's meaningful properties. They are designed to transfer a good's properties to its owner.

Liminality

spaces and times that exist outside of everyday life -ex. Cathedrals, churches, mosques, religious places -take on a new role as an equal "worshiper" -levels out social distinctions

Rites of passage

special times marked by a change in social status.