Key Issues in Marketing Management – serie

This collection of articles deal with marketing history and the history of marketing thought, placing these subjects within a marketing management context. Despite the crucial role that historical research can play in expanding our understanding of marketing, studies of the history of marketing are thin on the ground. This volume aims to address this gap. Topics include the history of the Boston Consulting Group’s growth-share matrix, branding, the emergence of marketing schools of thought, managerialism, the marketing concept, relationship marketing, scientific management and marketing, and critical marketing studies. The introduction discusses the three themes that run through the collection: historical method, marketing history, and the history of marketing thought. This book was originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Marketing Management.

Gendering Theory in Marketing and Consumer Research showcases state-of-the-art scholarship on gender in the field of marketing and consumer research. The book presents seven original contributions by a group of internationally renowned academics, who take up the task of theorising gender and gendering theory in new ways, accommodating recent intersectional, material-discursive, and practice-oriented theorisations. Connecting the study of marketing and consumer behaviour to different theoretical perspectives on gender, the contributors explore and critically examine the gendered nature and dimensions of contemporary marketplace activity. Through innovative conceptual development and insightful empirical analyses, the book offers important scholarly contributions to the literature on gender, marketing, and consumer research, and advances our understanding of gender as lived experience and socially regulated performance. It also frequently employ an intersectionalist perspective, theorising gender as only a part of one’s subject position, which is constituted by mutually reinforcing categories. The book will be essential reading for students, scholars, and practitioners who are interested in the implications and contemporary manifestations of gender as a cultural category in the marketplace. This book was originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Marketing Management.

Marketing Performativity: Theories, practices and devices addresses concerns about the theory-practice gap so often discussed by marketing scholars, and indeed reframes this ‘gap’ by asking ‘how is marketing theory performative?’ How does marketing theory shape action? Who uses it in practice and to what effects? The individual contributions in this book look at how marketing theories are used in practice and what this means for our understanding of the practicing–theorising landscape of marketing. The book begins by considering what performativity is and how this concept is used in the marketing literature. It then considers three themes concerning the performativity of marketing that emerge from the contributions, before presenting ten empirical studies that ask how, why, and to what effect marketing theories are used and ‘performed’ in marketing practice. The book also summarises the implications of three themes and sketches research areas for further developing our understanding of the performativity of marketing. This book was originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Marketing Management.

Bringing together the latest thinking on both celebrity brands and celebrity culture from academics specialising in the field of marketing, this book explores a range of insightful contexts in order to add vigour and vitality to our understanding of the connections between celebrities, markets and culture. It unpacks the identity theoretics which have their origins in the turn to celebrity culture and the spectacle and glamour of mass-media practices. In doing so, the contributors hint at new forms of individuation where the line between the virtual and the actual is blurred, and where images of celebrities construct and deconstruct themselves. This book was originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Marketing Management.

This book demonstrates that marketing scholarship has much to contribute to our understanding of consumer vulnerability and potential solutions. It brings to the fore ways in which so‐called vulnerable consumers navigate various marketplace and service interactions and develop specific consumer skills in order to empower themselves in such exchanges. It does so by exploring how consumer vulnerability is experienced across a range of different contexts such as poverty and disability, and the potential impact of vulnerability from childhood to old age. Other chapters extend focus from the consumer to the organisational perspective or consider more macro issues such as socio-spatial disadvantages. The fundamental aim of many of the contributors is to produce work that can benefit individual and societal well-being. They draw on various methodological approaches that generate both marketing management and policy-focused implications. A series of commentaries are also included to stimulate critical reflection and new insights into consumer vulnerability. This book was originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Marketing Management.

When marketing managers and financial managers join forces within any business, the result can often be poor communication on financial criteria and goals. The risk of this situation occurring is inevitably present when those with different professional backgrounds and roles are working in accordance with their own norms.In his seminal 1956 paper on general systems theory, the economist Kenneth Boulding referred to the phenomenon of "specialised ears and generalised deafness", which can be seen to exist when marketing managers are financially illiterate or when financial managers lack the necessary insights to design, implement and operate accounting systems which are useful to marketing managers in carrying out their roles.It is increasingly difficult to attach credence to the idea of marketing managers who lack financial skills, or financial managers who fail to relate to the context in which marketing managers operate. Understanding the marketing/accounting interface is therefore important in generating emergent properties from the interaction of marketers and accountants whereby the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. The chapters in this volume seek to address this challenge.This book was originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Marketing Management.

There can be little doubt about the profound impact that the Internet has had on all aspects of business over the past decade. Indeed, it is now widely accepted that we have entered a new and even more revolutionary phase in the development of the Net as a global marketing and communications platform; a phase characterised by information ‘pull’ rather than ‘push’, user-generated content, openness, sharing, collaboration, interaction, communities, and social networking. New generation Web-based communities and hosted applications are beginning to have a major impact on customer behaviour across a diverse range of industries. These new applications represent a fundamental change in the way people use the Internet, their online expectations, and experiences.From a marketing perspective, the most distinctive feature is not the technology involved but rather the growth of a new global culture – a ‘Net generation’ culture based on decentralised authority rather than hierarchy and control, online socialising and collaboration, user-generated and distributed content, open communications, peer-to-peer sharing, and global participation. Success in this new online environment, characterised by people and network empowerment, requires new ‘mindsets’ and innovative approaches to marketing, customer, and network relationships.This book makes a valuable contribution to the field by examining recent and future developments in online marketing, including the revolutionary impact of new media. Chapters cover a wide range of topics, including: information exchange on bulletin board systems and in online consumer portals; Web 2.0 and ‘New-Wave Globals’; online tribal marketing; co-creation; industry impact; privacy issues; online advertising effectiveness; and practitioner prognostics for the future of online marketing.This book was originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Marketing Management.

Arts, heritage, non-profit and social marketing today comprise key components of the contemporary marketing management scene. Governments, charities and voluntary sector organisations throughout the world are increasingly involved in the development of marketing campaigns, and more and more of these organisations are likely to be at the cutting edge of the application of the very latest marketing methods. Research in the arts, heritage, non-profit and social marketing fields is intellectually rigorous, relevant for user communities, and has a great deal to offer to marketing theory as well as to promotional practice.This book presents a collection of stimulating articles that report some of the freshest and most innovative research and thinking in the authors’ specialist domains. Collectively the chapters offer a balance of empirical and conceptual research in arts, heritage, non-profit and social marketing. They explore new ideas, challenge pre-existing orthodoxies, develop knowledge, and demonstrate the epistemological importance of current research in these critical areas. This book was originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Marketing Management.

With globalisation taking centre stage in the business world and multiculturalism affecting markets and societies, there is a need to understand the ways that customers respond to the changing marketplace from international and multicultural perspectives. This book is timely in addressing important themes raised in the most recent marketing literature, such as: global consumer culture, and the impact of Western culture on consumer behaviour in other countries; consumer acculturation processes, and the impact on identity conflicts and the strategies people use to manage them; globalisation vs. localised strategies, and the interaction of local and global influences on customer behaviour; climate change and global warming, the impact on consumer behaviour, and the implications for social responsibility; and cross-cultural customer research, including important methodological questions around the application of sociological, group-level measures to psychological, individual-level phenomenon in marketing contexts. The papers in this edition address those themes, reporting on studies from a range of countries, including Germany, Greece, China, and Austria, and a number of cultural groups in the UK. These papers draw on quantitative and qualitative methodologies, reflecting the full range of methods employed in contemporary consumer research.This book was originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Marketing Management.

In recognising the realms of eco-marketing, sustainable marketing, social marketing and ethical consumption, this collection provides an accessible overview of the multifaceted and challenging nature of green and ethical issues. In revealing that there are many ways to explore the consumption activities of green and ethical consumers, the contributors point to some of the weaknesses identified in previous marketing research. The book also considers fundamental ways in which marketing academics and marketing practitioners can gain a more holistic understanding of the demographic, psychological and socio-cultural influences upon the green and ethical consumer. The contributors offer insights underpinned by holistic and cross-cultural perspective. As a result, this collection will advance marketing theory as well as offer valuable implications and recommendations for managers, practitioners and policymakers, the joint efforts of which are needed to ensure a more ‘green’, ethical and sustainable marketplace.This book was originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Marketing Management.

This collection of articles deal with marketing history and the history of marketing thought, placing these subjects within a marketing management context. Despite the crucial role that historical research can play in expanding our understanding of marketing, studies of the history of marketing are thin on the ground. This volume aims to address this gap. Topics include the history of the Boston Consulting Group’s growth-share matrix, branding, the emergence of marketing schools of thought, managerialism, the marketing concept, relationship marketing, scientific management and marketing, and critical marketing studies. The introduction discusses the three themes that run through the collection: historical method, marketing history, and the history of marketing thought. This book was originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Marketing Management.

Practitioners of marketing in higher education and all academics across all disciplines who work in higher education are aware of the importance of marketing to their careers, their department, and their institution. Chancellors, University Presidents, Deans, Heads of School, Directors of Research, Directors of Programs and faculty, as well as those who work in departments of marketing within higher education institutions, recognise the increasing utility of marketing what they have to offer. Our purpose in this research based book on higher education marketing is to bring to the diversity of these publics a more sophisticated way of thinking about, and methods for, marketing higher education.This book was originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Marketing Management.

There can be little doubt about the profound impact that the Internet has had on all aspects of business over the past decade. Indeed, it is now widely accepted that we have entered a new and even more revolutionary phase in the development of the Net as a global marketing and communications platform; a phase characterised by information ‘pull’ rather than ‘push’, user-generated content, openness, sharing, collaboration, interaction, communities, and social networking. New generation Web-based communities and hosted applications are beginning to have a major impact on customer behaviour across a diverse range of industries. These new applications represent a fundamental change in the way people use the Internet, their online expectations, and experiences.From a marketing perspective, the most distinctive feature is not the technology involved but rather the growth of a new global culture – a ‘Net generation’ culture based on decentralised authority rather than hierarchy and control, online socialising and collaboration, user-generated and distributed content, open communications, peer-to-peer sharing, and global participation. Success in this new online environment, characterised by people and network empowerment, requires new ‘mindsets’ and innovative approaches to marketing, customer, and network relationships.This book makes a valuable contribution to the field by examining recent and future developments in online marketing, including the revolutionary impact of new media. Chapters cover a wide range of topics, including: information exchange on bulletin board systems and in online consumer portals; Web 2.0 and ‘New-Wave Globals’; online tribal marketing; co-creation; industry impact; privacy issues; online advertising effectiveness; and practitioner prognostics for the future of online marketing.This book was originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Marketing Management.

Expanding disciplinary Space: On the Potential of Critical Marketing provides an introduction to the major perspectives in critical marketing studies. It contains theoretical reflections on critical marketing whilst building on the key concepts and ideas, which are vital to the subject, through detailed empirical studies. An international collection of marketing experts discuss the eclectic character and potential of the critical turn within marketing theory and practice. Chapters explore topics such as marketing academia, consumer research, political marketing, marketing ethics, postcolonial epistemic ideology in marketing, marketing theory, and marketing for community development. The text is essential reading for all those interested in contemporary developments in marketing theory and practice irrespective of the discipline from which they originate.This book was originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Marketing Management.

Transhumanisms and Biotechnologies in Consumer Society offers new, critical perspectives on the impact of 'life-enhancing' technological advancements on consumer identity positions and market evolutions.Technoprogressive innovations that include body modification technologies and reproductive technologies have enabled people to transcend bodily constraints. In parallel, they provoke necessary, critical interrogation around human capabilities, technological possibilities, gender equality, feminism, personal identity, bioethics, markets and morality. The contributions in this book re-evaluate these topics and elucidate some of the vexed relationships between consumers of biotechnologies and markets they consider restrictive or misleading. Secondly, by illustrating consumers’ questioning of and resistance to biomedical, market imperatives, they highlight how the notion of consumer sovereignty, consumer influence over markets, has now advanced into novel forms of consumer activism made manifest through contemporary health justice movements. The chapters in this book also uncover profoundly personal consumer accounts on coping with and managing bodies-in-transition, focusing on illness, self-perception, survivorship and the vicissitudes of these corporeal experiences. This book will allow readers to understand how accelerated technological market changes are being experienced and creatively countered at the societal and individual level.The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of Journal of Marketing Management.

Transhumanisms and Biotechnologies in Consumer Society offers new, critical perspectives on the impact of 'life-enhancing' technological advancements on consumer identity positions and market evolutions.Technoprogressive innovations that include body modification technologies and reproductive technologies have enabled people to transcend bodily constraints. In parallel, they provoke necessary, critical interrogation around human capabilities, technological possibilities, gender equality, feminism, personal identity, bioethics, markets and morality. The contributions in this book re-evaluate these topics and elucidate some of the vexed relationships between consumers of biotechnologies and markets they consider restrictive or misleading. Secondly, by illustrating consumers’ questioning of and resistance to biomedical, market imperatives, they highlight how the notion of consumer sovereignty, consumer influence over markets, has now advanced into novel forms of consumer activism made manifest through contemporary health justice movements. The chapters in this book also uncover profoundly personal consumer accounts on coping with and managing bodies-in-transition, focusing on illness, self-perception, survivorship and the vicissitudes of these corporeal experiences. This book will allow readers to understand how accelerated technological market changes are being experienced and creatively countered at the societal and individual level.The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of Journal of Marketing Management.

This comprehensive book examines the impact of smart technologies in consumer's behaviour from a contemporary perspective, blending marketing and retailing along with other disciplines such as psychology, media studies and sociology.Market forces and technological advancements are making the management of and strategies for innovation more prominent and essential in all functions of business, not least marketing and retailing. Frontiers of marketing are constantly pushed, requiring the development and adjustments of new theories. Prior literature on innovation in marketing has mainly focused on digital marketing strategies and consumer behaviour, while only recently introducing the notion of smart retailing in terms of smart experience and interaction. While these studies provide a basis for defining smart retailing and consumer behaviour in smart retail settings, the concept of smart consumers is still under-investigated. Thus, the smart consumer — consumers making extensive use of smart technologies in all steps of their shopping behaviour and experience of the store (both offline and online) — is emerging as a promising area for future marketing and retailing studies.The chapters in this edited volume seek to understand the effect of innovation in consumer behaviour by proposing original empirical and theoretical contributions, methods, models, tools and case studies that contribute to explain this emergent phenomenon.The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Marketing Management.

This comprehensive book examines the impact of smart technologies in consumer's behaviour from a contemporary perspective, blending marketing and retailing along with other disciplines such as psychology, media studies and sociology.Market forces and technological advancements are making the management of and strategies for innovation more prominent and essential in all functions of business, not least marketing and retailing. Frontiers of marketing are constantly pushed, requiring the development and adjustments of new theories. Prior literature on innovation in marketing has mainly focused on digital marketing strategies and consumer behaviour, while only recently introducing the notion of smart retailing in terms of smart experience and interaction. While these studies provide a basis for defining smart retailing and consumer behaviour in smart retail settings, the concept of smart consumers is still under-investigated. Thus, the smart consumer — consumers making extensive use of smart technologies in all steps of their shopping behaviour and experience of the store (both offline and online) — is emerging as a promising area for future marketing and retailing studies.The chapters in this edited volume seek to understand the effect of innovation in consumer behaviour by proposing original empirical and theoretical contributions, methods, models, tools and case studies that contribute to explain this emergent phenomenon.The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Marketing Management.

This contemporary book offers current perspectives on routines and rituals to extend an understanding of the scope of these concepts, with a view to challenging conventional wisdom and to offer insight for practitioners.Routines and rituals are part of everyday being. Routines can be useful for individuals in structuring ‘messiness’ in their lives, while rituals are often more spectacular in nature and typically involve a collective event. Routines and rituals can be traditional, established, new or reinvented, as well as personal, social, and/or emotional. Traditionally, rituals have been characterised by formality, customs, regularity and procedure; conversely, routines (public or private) have been considered less important in their significance and meaning.Employing several research methods (literature review, ethnography, netnography, autoethnography and in-depth interviews) and examining a variety of contexts (ranging from hen parties, clothing to collegiate tailgating and the Covid pandemic), this edited volume reveals typologies and tactics for strategic practitioner use and policy makers, as well as identifying avenues for further research.The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of Journal of Marketing Management.

Influencer marketing often gets touted as more authentic, democratised, credible, and relatable than traditional marketing tactics. But such hype glosses over its messy sociocultural dynamics and underlying disparities. This book discusses and debates the complexities of influencer marketing, casting a critical and interdisciplinary lens on its practices, consumption, and far-reaching societal impact.Beneath the surface of likes, shares, and selfies lies critical questions around power imbalances, tensions, and transformations in a content-driven marketplace. How have historical, economic, and technological changes shaped the development and maturation of influencer marketing as a scholarly field and an industry practice? Who attains the mantle of an influencer; what attributes transcend traditional categorisations; how are the complexities of identity portrayed through influencer culture; and how do so-called ‘nontraditional influencers’ connect with audiences and disseminate their perspectives in unique ways? How do evolving influencer-audience relationships foster mutual benefits and potential pitfalls?Influencer marketing has evolved from a marketing tactic to a cultural phenomenon. It is shaped, and is shaped by, the currents of culture. By bridging theoretical perspectives and crossing disciplinary boundaries, the chapters in this volume advance the readers’ understanding of influencer marketing by bringing to life its complexities, embracing its messiness, and highlighting future potentialities.The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of Journal of Marketing Management.

This book collects bold and challenging contributions to pedagogy that foster creative and critical thinking in the marketing classroom. The volume brings together leading international critical marketing scholars who apply a wide range of theoretical and methodological tools to nurture students’ ability to think outside the narrow confines of conventional management ideology. The contributions, which range from fascinating personal reflections to deep engagement with theory, are united by a desire to share insights about how to turn teaching in marketing away from mere training towards rigorous and broad education about markets and their place in society. The innovations discussed can be as challenging and inspiring for the reader as they were for the students in the classes. The aim of this book is to support educators to help students develop into professionals (and people) who engage seriously with the societal effects of their actions.Towards Transformative Education in Marketing is an essential resource for students and teachers of marketing, marketing pedagogy, business studies. This book will also appeal to those interested in innovative and critical approaches to the field. The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of Journal of Marketing Management.

Expanding disciplinary Space: On the Potential of Critical Marketing provides an introduction to the major perspectives in critical marketing studies. It contains theoretical reflections on critical marketing whilst building on the key concepts and ideas, which are vital to the subject, through detailed empirical studies. An international collection of marketing experts discuss the eclectic character and potential of the critical turn within marketing theory and practice. Chapters explore topics such as marketing academia, consumer research, political marketing, marketing ethics, postcolonial epistemic ideology in marketing, marketing theory, and marketing for community development. The text is essential reading for all those interested in contemporary developments in marketing theory and practice irrespective of the discipline from which they originate.This book was originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Marketing Management.

This book critically examines the marketisation of the menopause transition, a phenomenon that in recent years has given rise to an array of products, services, investment opportunities, and the supposed empowerment of women navigating midlife transitions.As venture capitalists and well-being brands converge on this new frontier in marketing opportunity, our book critically assesses the issues that accompany the latest menopause market trends and evolving consumer predilections. These include biomedical possibilities, rebranding feminism, the rise of menopause influencers, celebrity and social media-enabled menopause advocacy, novel advertising rhetoric, and corporeal representations that challenge the public’s expectations of ageing women’s bodies and attitudes. The chapters in this book adopt interdisciplinary perspectives to reveal how sociocultural narratives influence menopause marketing strategies and suggest how they may be utilised to rethink advertising rhetoric to faithfully represent lived experiences of the menopause. This book addresses an international readership of scholars and practitioners of marketing, consumer behaviour, advertising rhetoric, life course representation, gender, and health studies.This book will be beneficial for scholars, researchers, and practitioners across a range of fields, including marketing, consumer behaviour, advertising, gender studies, health studies, and sociology.The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of Journal of Marketing Management.

This book reimagines what it means to craft a self in contemporary life. Russ Belk's classic work on the extended self which shows how possessions and relationships form part of identity, along with his more recent writing exploring how digital technologies and transhumanism are shaping the boundaries of personhood, forms the foundation. Building on this, Craig Thompson questions the idea of a single, stable self, proposing instead that identity emerges through networks of social and technological relations. He urges greater reflexivity in how consumer researchers construct and interpret the self. Consistent with this call, several authors situate these debates within wider historical and political contexts. Taken together, these contributions present the self as dynamic, relational, and politically charged. They call for a more critical and ethically engaged approach to grasp how identities are formed within the intertwined systems of consumption, technology, and power.Conceptualising the Consumer will appeal to students and researchers in consumer behaviour, marketing theory, sociology and digital anthropology. It will also interest practitioners in marketing and digital strategy seeking deeper insights into consumer identity construction in the digital age.The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of Journal of Marketing Management.

This book provides contemporary perspectives on marketing management with regards to drinking behaviour, drinking spaces and places, brewing, product development and inclusion. Globally, approximately one in three people (32.5%) drink alcohol equating to roughly 2.4 billion people. Behind this consumption, there are a range of brewers, distillers and winemakers who produce alcohol and suppliers and retailers of various types who bring the product to the consumer. Marketing management, advertising, communications and consumer behaviours play a role in the brewing, distribution and drinking of alcohol across different contexts.The chapters in this volume examine patterns of drinking, followed by an assessment of the role and style of drinking in different contexts, both commercial (the pub, bar, off licence) and personal (the home). The role of collaborative marketing practices is highlighted as well as the important role of product development especially related to no and low-alcohol products and increased moderation of drinking. The book also covers the area of inclusion, in terms of gender within the beer scene. Finally, the book offers a perspective from brewers and publicans and their contemporary struggles and hopes for the future.This comprehensive resource is designed for students, professionals, practitioners and researchers in consumer behavior, marketing management, consumer psychology, hospitality and tourism studies, business strategy and social sciences.The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of Journal of Marketing Management.

This book offers a comprehensive examination of how consumers develop resilience in response to disruptive events. Bringing together a diverse collection of studies spanning low-income consumers, families displaced by conflict, and individuals interacting with disrupted material objects, it demonstrates the varied ways in which people adapt to challenging circumstances, rebuild identities, reconstruct roles and routines. This book highlights the important influence of religiosity on consumer adaptation and behaviour during periods of major socio-economic disruption.This book advances understanding of resilience as relational, cautioning against the over-individualisation of responsibility and emphasising the essential role of stakeholders, such as governments in shaping consumers’ adaptive capacities. Extending these insights, the book explores disruptions in higher education, where marketisation and digitalisation have transformed expectations for both students and staff. The book also examines the rise of consumer prepping, raising concerns about inequalities embedded within the resilience discourse and illustrating how expectations to “be resilient” can reinforce existing socioeconomic and gender disparities.The chapters, originally published as part of a special issue in Journal of Marketing Management, offer a rich, multidimensional perspective on consumer resilience and are valuable resources for researchers and practitioners across marketing, consumer research, sociology, and related fields.

This book highlights the pressing issue of marketplace accessibility for over a billion people worldwide living with disabilities—a number that is expected to grow due to aging demographics. Despite this significant population, our societies and marketplaces remain predominantly designed for the non-disabled.This volume brings together a collection of studies from leading scholars that critically examine the barriers to accessibility in marketplaces. It explores the pervasive forces of ableism embedded in marketplace practices and environments that often exclude, stigmatize, and disempower individuals with disabilities. By interrogating these barriers and ableist practices, the book aims to inspire scholars and practitioners to take responsibility for creating transformative, inclusive markets. Ultimately, it advocates for a future where marketplaces are ‘enabling’ rather than ‘disabling.’This book will be beneficial for students, researchers and practitioners in marketing, disability studies, and social policy. This book will also appeal to those interested in social justice and inclusive design. It contributes to the broad subject areas of marketing, accessibility, and equity, offering valuable insights for fostering inclusive and empowering marketplaces.The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of Journal of Marketing Management.

This book explores how everyday stories, media, and symbols shape—and are shaped by—the ways we think about markets, brands, and consumption. Drawing on examples from film, television, music, fairs, and other familiar cultural settings, this book offers fresh perspectives on how marketing operates beyond boardrooms, spreadsheets, and formal strategy. Rather than treating marketing as a self-contained discipline, it goes further by suggesting that brands and marketing are not simply influenced by popular culture but are themselves forms of popular culture. Accessible and engaging, this collection invites readers to see markets not merely as sites of buying and selling, but as cultural spaces where shared stories are told about who we are, what we care about, and how we connect with others.This book will appeal to a wide range of readers, including students, scholars and professionals interested in subject areas such as marketing, cultural studies, media studies, sociology, anthropology, and consumer behavior. Bringing together leading international scholars, this collection demonstrates how cultural analysis deepens our understanding of contemporary marketing practices worldwide.The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of Journal of Marketing Management.

With globalisation taking centre stage in the business world and multiculturalism affecting markets and societies, there is a need to understand the ways that customers respond to the changing marketplace from international and multicultural perspectives. This book is timely in addressing important themes raised in the most recent marketing literature, such as: global consumer culture, and the impact of Western culture on consumer behaviour in other countries; consumer acculturation processes, and the impact on identity conflicts and the strategies people use to manage them; globalisation vs. localised strategies, and the interaction of local and global influences on customer behaviour; climate change and global warming, the impact on consumer behaviour, and the implications for social responsibility; and cross-cultural customer research, including important methodological questions around the application of sociological, group-level measures to psychological, individual-level phenomenon in marketing contexts. The papers in this edition address those themes, reporting on studies from a range of countries, including Germany, Greece, China, and Austria, and a number of cultural groups in the UK. These papers draw on quantitative and qualitative methodologies, reflecting the full range of methods employed in contemporary consumer research.This book was originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Marketing Management.