Subcultures

Preface Introduction Part I. Politics, Markets, and the State: 1. The consumers' White Label campaign of the National Consumers' League, 1898-1918 2. Democracy and political identity in the consumer society 3. Changing consumption Regimes in Europe, 1930-1970 4. Consumer research as public relations: General Motors in the 1930s 5. The New Deal State and the making of citizen consumers 6. Consumer spending as state Project: yesterday's solutions and today's problems 7. The Emigre as celebrant of American consumer culture: George Katona and Ernest Dichter 8. Dissolution of the 'dictatorship over needs'? consumer behavior and economic reform in East Germany in the 1960s Part II. Everyday Life: 9. World War I and the creation of desire for cars in Germany 10. Gender, generation, and consumption in the United States: working-class families in the interwar period 11. Comparing apples and oranges: housewives and the politics of consumption in interwar Germany 12. 'The convenience is out of this world': the garbage disposer and American consumer culture 13. Consumer culture in the GDR, or how the struggle for antimodernity was lost on the battleground of consumer culture 14. Changes in consumption as social practice in West Germany during the 1950s 15. Reshaping shopping environments: the competition between the city of Boston and its suburbs 16. Toys, socialization, and the commodification of play 17. The 'syndrome of the 1950s' in Switzerland: cheap energy, mass consumption, and the environment 18. Reflecting on Ethnic Imagery in the Landscape of commerce, 1945-1975 Part III. History and Theory: 19. Modern subjectivity and consumer culture 20. Consumption and consumer society: a contribution to the history of ideas 21. Reconsidering abundance: a plea for ambiguity.

Brand Community as Co-Creation Value in the Service-Dominant Logic of Marketing

Nowadays, the traditional way of tea drinking is no longer applicable to the fast-paced social development, in order to meet the new needs of tea drinking, many new tea drink brands have been born in the society. “Chayan Yuese, as a representative of new tea drinks, is worth studying in depth the phenomenon of interconstruction between its brand communication and contemporary consumer culture. This paper adopts literature research method and case study method to conduct the research. It is found that Chayan Yuese’s marketing strategy promotes brand communication and gains good social attention and consumer viscosity. The study also reflects that consumers are highly aware of traditional culture, they are more inclined to personalized products and activities, and social enterprises are gradually guiding consumers towards ‘sustainable development’. The marketing strategy of Chayan Yuese has successfully adapted to the consumer culture while promoting brand communication, and the two have provided a strong impetus for the brand’s development. This paper not only provides a reference for the development of social enterprises, but also expands the direction of the research on new tea drinks.

Marketing scholarship often employs geographical regions to demarcate and contextualize market and consumer research. Regions help researchers grasp phenomena that span over areas larger than a single locality. However, the potential for regions to create greater understanding in consumer research has been limited by researchers’ acceptance of geopolitical frontiers as the natural boundaries of cultural practices. We introduce critical regionalities and the archipelago metaphor as an analytic lens for interrogating and redrawing regional borders while preserving the benefits of a regional approach. Combining poststructuralist and critical historical perspectives, we argue for greater sensitivity to place and history in operationalizing regional consumer cultures. To illustrate this approach, we take Latin America as our point of departure and use examples from the central consumption areas of food and dwelling, for example, the consumption of rice and beans and the rise of gated communities. We contribute to recent theoretical developments in marketing and consumer culture theory with a flexible notion of regional consumer culture, paying critical attention to the relationship between analytical scales and researchers’ reflexivity. This approach also allows for more attention to non-Western contexts, ontologies, and epistemologies.

The current paper investigates the value and application of a range of physiological and neuroscientific techniques in applied marketing research and consumer science, highlighting new insights from research in social psychology and neuroscience. We review measures of sweat secretion, heart rate, facial muscle activity, eye movements, and electrical brain activity, using techniques including skin conductance, pupillometry, eyetracking, and magnetic brain imaging. For each measure, after a brief explanation of the underlying technique, we illustrate concepts and mechanisms that the measure allows researchers in marketing and consumer science to investigate, with a focus on consumer attitudes and behavior. By providing reviews on recent research that applied these methods in consumer science and relevant related fields, we also highlight methodological and theoretical strengths and limitations, with an emphasis on ecological validity. We argue that the inclusion of physiological and neuroscientific techniques can advance consumer research by providing insights into the often unconscious mechanisms underlying consumer behavior. Therefore, such technologies can help researchers and marketing practitioners understand the mechanisms of consumer behavior and improve predictions of consumer behavior.

Third party–hosted consumer communities in general, and brand communities in particular, have been touted for their ability to generate value for firms by promoting consumer-to-consumer (C2C) helping. However, little research has examined whether consumer communities actually foster C2C helping, and who is helped. In contrast, the brand-community literature suggests community strategies may reduce the likelihood of community members helping non–community members. If so, strategies that promote third party–hosted brand or product-category communities may be counterproductive in fostering C2C helping. Should firms focus on promoting brand communities, promoting product-category communities, or both? On the basis of a hazard model analysis of 9,192 actual C2C helping events over a 25-month period, and supported by a second cross-sectional study, this article examines how participation in brand and product-category communities influences one's likelihood of helping others. We find that brand-community participation increases one's likelihood of helping fellow members while reducing the likelihood of helping members of rival brand communities. Surprisingly, product-category community participation reduces one's likelihood of helping members of brand communities. The authors discuss managerial recommendations.

The aim of this investigation is to understand the Harley-Davidson (HD) brand community members in Portugal and its consequences on their behaviors and brand loyalty. Throughout this work, it is mentioned how the HD brand developed the brand community, becoming an appealing brand for freedom lovers. This research focused on 429 members of HD brand community in Portugal. The methods used to analyze data were a descriptive data analysis, the chi-square independence tests, the chi-square automatic interaction detector (CHAID) model and the binary logistic regression. The results show that brand communities provide to its members the experience of integration with others, reinforcing brand loyalty. The merchandising and accessories purchase by brand community members is also reinforced.KeywordsBrand communityHarley-DavidsonTribal marketingConsumer behaviorLoyalty

Recently, the brand community issue seems to be growing in importance in marketing research. As a result of the popularity of the internet, virtual brand community becomes more and more important in theory and practice. The function of brand community is not only can enhance the interaction of firms and customers but also the relationships between customers. Besides, the brand community can provide a platform f or experience and information sharing. This study explores the effect of brand community cohesiveness in group and individual consumer behaviors from a multiple-level perspective. At the individual level, the relationship between the perceived risk and purchase attention of individual consumers are analyzed extensively, and then the moderating effects of product knowledge are examined also. We collected brand community data using questionnaire surveys, collecting 237 forms. At the individual level, the results revealed a negative relationship between perceived risk and purchase intention and a moderating effect of product knowledge on this negative relationship. At the group level, on the other hand, brand community cohesiveness had no significant moderating effect on perceived risk and purchase intention. Nevertheless, brand community cohesiveness had positive and significant direct effects on the purchase intention of consumers, as well as on brand identity and loyalty. Implications of the results, as well as use of HLM in multilevel investigations, are discussed.

In this article definitions of mood and the behavioral effects of negative moods are reviewed and scrutinized. This is an important task for two reasons. First, in prior studies, consumer researchers have treated concepts such as affect, mood, feeling, and emotion vaguely and arbitrarily. This has resulted in confusion regarding the substance of mood. In an attempt to dispel a part of this confusion, this article offers a conceptual analysis of mood. Second, a large part of prior consumer behavior- and advertising-related mood research has addressed the relation between mood and mental constructs. The relation between mood and actual consumer behaviors is a more neglected research area. The behavioral effects of negative moods are an especially interesting phenomenon, because past studies have produced mixed and contradictory results. Thus, to offer novel insights, the key conclusion of the conceptual analysis of mood is harnessed to explain the inconsistent findings regarding the negative mood–(consumer) behavior relation. Another theoretical contribution is the provision of starting points for conceptualizing mood-alleviative consumer behavior. Suggestions for future research are also briefly outlined in the concluding section of this article. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

The impact of quarantine restrictions that have affected the specifics of the organization of marketing research is shown. It has been determined that in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, most marketing research is conducted using Internet technologies. In the conditions of the pandemic, the forms of marketing research have changed. Emphasis is shifting to more active use of Internet marketing opportunities to implement a marketing research plan. Problems of organizing and conducting marketing research are directly related to the management of marketing activities and adaptation of the enterprise to the environment, which is characterized by a high degree of uncertainty. The aim of the article is to study and systematize the key issues of marketing research, taking into account the quarantine restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Advantages of remote work with consumers of enterprise products are systematized. The advantages of remote work with consumers are increasing the speed of data processing and interpretation of research results, the possibility of simultaneous work with respondents, the possibility of a more complete geographical coverage of respondents, improving the quality of the questionnaire by adding questions with multimedia components, saving the marketing budget by reducing the cost of marketing research. Relevant types of marketing research are identified, which are most often conducted online. The main types of marketing research conducted with the help of Internet resources are determining the profile of consumers, market research, corporate image research, diagnosing brand value, analysis of consumer satisfaction with the range and parameters of product, evaluating the effectiveness of the advertising campaign, testing of pricing policy, study of the competitive environment of the enterprise. The key problems of organizing and conducting marketing research in a pandemic and formulated ways to solve them are given. In a pandemic, the struggle for the consumer is greatly intensified, so the company’s marketing strategies should be as consistent with the overall development strategy, and the timeliness of adjustment of the strategic set is provided by marketing research, which allows diagnosing key changes in consumer behavior in markets.

R esearchers frequently have explicitly or implicitly posed the question: What is consumer research? (Belk 1986; Jacoby 1975; Holbrook 1987). While a formal definition of consumer research may be of little value, since consumer research will ultimately be defined by what researchers achieve, there is a need for direction. We begin with the premise that consumer research, whatever form it might take, seeks to produce knowledge about consumer behavior. Although simple, this premise points up the fact that consumer research is a means to an end. Of course consumer research is about consumers and about behavior, but this is hardly limiting or even informative. After all, anything can be construed as the consumption of something and consumption must entail some kind of behavior. Emphasis should be on the knowledge produced: What possible kinds of knowledge could be created by consumer research?

ABSTRACTIn consumer research, we frequently focus on the phenomenon of transformation, whether the transformatory effects of a particular consumption community or the great body of work being carried out under the banner of transformative consumer research. However, there is a particular transformation which occurs in the field of interpretivist consumer research that, we would argue, is overlooked—that of researcher transformation. We present as data our reflexive considerations on the ways in which our own research with vulnerable consumers has affected and changed us. We consider short‐term transformations in the field, reflecting on the various ways that researcher identity is carefully managed and negotiated to fit with the social–cultural setting. We also consider longer term transformations and discuss the enduring impact of the research process—the people we have met, the homes we have visited, and the stories we have heard. By reflecting on the shaping of identities ‘in the field’, we aim to deepen our appreciation of the interpretive consumer research process and contribute to theoretical understanding of transformative identity research. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

In a world of swift digital transformations, the global market is seeing notable structural shifts. This applies not only to novel technologies, but also to how brands engage with their consumers. Artificial intelligence (AI) and big data analytics are at the heart of this change. With these instruments, companies can analyze consumer behavior more profoundly and precisely, considering the cultural and behavioral traits of diverse audiences worldwide. This allows them to hone their marketing strategies and cultivate a strong emotional bond between the consumer and the brand. The article aims to identify and examine the opportunities that artificial intelligence and big data technologies offer to boost the efficacy of brand communication within the international market. The article reviews theoretical approaches to constructing brand communication in the global market, considering digital transformation, specifically concentrating on the concept and function of brand communication. The key models of brand communication are assessed. The potential of employing artificial intelligence to develop and manage brand communications is examined. The role of big data in making communication decisions, encompassing audience segmentation, analysis of consumer behavior, and content adjustment to cultural specificities is identified. Particular attention is given to the integration of AI and Big Data into a brand’s global communication plan. The pros and cons associated with incorporating AI and Big Data into brand communication strategies, including ethical and legal aspects, are outlined. The article suggests constructing brand communication centered on artificial intelligence and big data, and offers suggestions for brands on the effective application of digital technologies in communicating with consumers on a worldwide scale. Via artificial intelligence and data analytics, brands can ensure a consistent customer experience throughout all stages of interaction. This starts with social media and expands all the way to physical points of sale, which in turn helps to boost customer loyalty and satisfaction. Analytics of behavioral, demographic, and contextual data allows for precise segmentation, recognizing consumer needs, and predicting market trends. This produces the conditions for brands to more effectively tailor content to the cultural and regional attributes of their audience.

Introduction. The article examines the interpretation of the economic concept of «international logistics», investigates the feasibility of using marketing research on consumer behavior as an effective tool for diagnosing the functioning of international logistics, examines the main methods of logistics diagnostics, and substantiates the key dependencies between logistics indicators and the level of consumer satisfaction in the international environment. The purpose of the article.. Substantiation of the feasibility of using marketing research on consumer behavior as an effective tool for diagnosing the functioning of international logistics, research into the main methods of logistics diagnostics, as well as identifying key dependencies between logistics indicators and the level of consumer satisfaction in the international environment. Methods. The methodological basis of the study is standards, regulatory acts, theoretical provisions on the diagnostics of international logistics and consumer behavior research, scientific works of famous economists on the topic. The following methods were used to write the article: analysis of scientific literature, standards and regulatory documents to form the theoretical basis of the study; comparative analysis of international logistics services; expert evaluation method. Results. The study analyzed scientific works and regulatory acts on the economic content of the concepts of «international logistics» to identify the main methods of marketing research on the behavior of consumers of logistics services. It was studied that diagnostics of international logistics activities is an integral part of the strategic management of the enterprise. It allows to identify weaknesses, optimize processes and increase competitiveness in the international market. Regular monitoring and analysis of logistics processes will help enterprises adapt to changing conditions and market requirements. The key dependencies between logistics indicators and the level of consumer satisfaction in the international environment are substantiated, which help to identify problems and opportunities for improving the international logistics activities of the enterprise. Conclusions. The results of the study indicate the existence of a close relationship between logistics indicators (in particular, delivery speed, reliability of logistics operations, level of service) and the level of consumer satisfaction. The use of modern marketing research methods allows you to quickly and accurately identify problem areas in the logistics chain and adjust strategies for interacting with customers in the international market. The integration of marketing analytics into the logistics management system helps to increase the competitiveness of companies, ensure a customer–oriented approach and improve the quality of logistics services. Promising areas for further research are: studying the impact of logistics digitalization (including Big Data, IoT, AI) on changing consumer expectations.

Cute has become the favored language of (the predominantly female) popular consumer culture. This paper examines the roots of “cute” and its evolution with reference to its relevance to marketers. We follow the cultural appropriation of Japan’s “Kawaii” by the Western “cute”, and introduce a social, marketing-oriented description and analysis of the concept. We present its socio-cultural, experiential, symbolic, and ideological relevance to consumption in general, and to consumer culture theory in particular. This examination steers clear of scientific generalizations prevalent in consumer behavior research and aims, instead, to illuminate the cultural dimensions of the consumption cycle, and allow a better understanding of what it is like to form social attachment and loyalty in the context of cute consumption and consumer culture theory. Especially interesting questions arise regarding the trans-social acculturating elements of cute, as well as the apparent mainstreaming (cultural appropriation) of the cute Asian subculture into the dominant Western consumer and material cultures.