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International audience; Within an institutional theory framework, this article identifies three interconnected fields of the marketing institution—research, education, and practice—that contribute to advancing the diversity and inclusion discourse in promoting multicultural marketplace well-being. Conducting three studies, one in each field and across contexts in three continents, the authors identify barriers that inhibit effective implementation of diversity and inclusion initiatives in today’s multicultural marketplaces. These barriers exist within and across fields and pertain to cultural-cognitive (shared meanings), normative (normative factors), and regulatory (rules and systems) pillars supporting the existence or transformation of institutions. From the research findings, the authors provide specific guidance for institutional work within marketing’s fields and policy developments needed to advance diversity-and-inclusion-engaged marketing for enhancing multicultural marketplace well-being.

In this conceptual paper, we offer a revised perspective of exchange which is relevant across diverse institutional and economic contexts. We discuss and compare food sharing exchange systems in India and the US. We focus on the antecedents and drivers of food sharing exchange systems, the processes by which institutional actors influence food sharing exchange systems and the underlying reasons due to which food-sharing systems emerge. Our work substantively builds on the extant literature on the theory of exchange and institutional theory in marketing. We develop a compelling exchange narrative of how institutional actors can drive consumer welfare across diverse exchange systems.

The authors examine the influence of olfactory sensitivity on the effectiveness of olfactory imagery in advertising. Findings reveal that the use of olfactory imagery can negatively impact ratings ...

Purpose This paper aims to review past papers focused on understanding consumer-related topics in marketing and related interdisciplinary fields to demonstrate the applications of electroencephalogram (EEG) in consumer neuroscience. Design/methodology/approach In addition to the review of papers using EEG to study consumer cognitive processes, the authors also discuss relevant decisions and considerations in conducting event-related potential (ERP) studies. Further, a framework proposed by Plassmann et al. (2015) was used to discuss the applications of EEG in marketing research from papers reviewed. Findings This paper successfully used Plassmann et al.’s (2015) framework to discuss five applications of neuroscience to marketing research. A review of growing EEG studies in the field of marketing and other interdisciplinary fields reveals the advantages and potential of using EEG in combination with other methods. This calls for more research using such methods. Research limitations/implications A technical overview of ERP-related terminology provides researchers with a background for understanding and reviewing ERP studies. A discussion of method-related considerations and decisions provides marketing researchers with an introduction to the method and refers readers to relevant literature. Practical implications The marketing industry has been quick to adopt cutting edge technology, including EEG, to understand and predict consumer behavior for the purpose of improving marketing practices. This paper connects the academic and practitioner spheres by presenting past and potential EEG research that can be translatable to the marketing industry. Originality/value The authors review past literature on the use of EEG to study consumer-related topics in marketing and interdisciplinary fields, to demonstrate its advantages over-traditional methods in studying consumer-relevant behaviors. To foster increasing use of EEG in consumer neuroscience research, the authors further provide technical and marketing-specific considerations for both academic and market researchers. This paper is one of the first to review past EEG papers and provide methodological background insights for marketing researchers.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the mediating role of emotions in processing scent information in consumer research, using event-related potential (ERP)-based neuroscience methods, while considering individual differences in sense of smell. Design/methodology/approach Prior research on olfaction and emotions in marketing has revealed mixed findings on the relationship between olfaction and emotion. The authors review earlier studies and present a neuroscience experiment demonstrating the benefits of ERP methods in studying the automatic processing of emotions. Findings Results demonstrate how emotional processes occurring within 1s of stimulus exposure differ across individuals with varying olfactory abilities. Findings reveal an automatic suppression mechanism for individuals sensitive to smell. Research limitations/implications Scent-induced emotions demonstrated through the use of ERP-based methods provide insights for understanding automatic emotional processes and reactions to ambient scents by consumers in the marketplace. Practical implications Findings show an automatic suppression of emotions triggered by scent in individuals sensitive to smell. Marketers and retailers should consider such reactions when evaluating the use of olfactory stimuli in promotional and retail strategies. Originality/value The authors review past literature and provide an explanation for the disparate findings in the olfaction–emotion linkage, by studying individual differences in response to scent in the marketplace. This is one of the first papers in marketing to introduce the application of ERP in studying consumer-relevant behavior and provide technical and marketing-specific considerations for both academic and market researchers.

An accepted view of consumption assumes that consumers progress along three orderly stages—from acquisition to consumption, culminating with disposal of a given consumption product. When this process of consumption is disrupted, the consequences can be destabilizing, disturbing, and potentially risky to both individual consumers and the wider society. This article focuses on the divergent consumption behavior of hoarders and the impact and resulting disruptions to the processes and phases of the consumption cycle. We use a multiperspective approach in our quest to understand consumer hoarding-type behaviors. We demonstrate that hoarding behavior is not simply a matter of excessive purchasing, overconsumption, or inadequate disposal, but that there are factors affecting all three dimensions, resulting in manifestations of risky behavior. Examining the underlying motivations of consumers who hoard provides a context to explore the interplay of risks in consumption deviations, with implications for o...

Mixed-race representations have become increasingly evident in marketing communications through the use of celebrity spokespersons like Misty Copeland and Halle Berry. This study explores the sociocultural ramifications of the ways in which marketers represent multiracial identity. Through an interdisciplinary review of pertinent literature, the authors create a theoretical framework for understanding the limitations of visual representations. A temporal model for discerning visual representations of the multiracial identity emerged by combining critical discourse analysis (CDA) techniques to investigate multiracial advertising depictions in eight popular U.S. magazines with interviews of multiracial women and advertising professionals. Findings suggest that marketers use mixed-race representations as cultural currency by mythologizing mixed-race bodies as the new beauty standard and as representing a racial bridge, physically and culturally tailored to ameliorate perceived racial divides. While visual re...

Thanksgiving in the U.S. is a ritual with shared meanings. This research evaluates the meanings of symbolic representations in advertising to understand the role of the media in the construction, maintenance, and evolution of ritual celebration. Thanksgiving advertisements published over a 99-year period are analyzed using a methodological mixture of semiotic analysis, historical analysis and context-driven periodization. The result is a multi-layered understanding of inter-related aspects of advertising history and the role of the media in the evolution of consumption ritual-making. Media are seen as agents for creating and legitimizing cultural norms, adding to our appreciation of normative and cultural-cognitive practices in supporting evolving social institutions. Findings show that marketers create and maintain the norms associated with Thanksgiving celebrations, while reflecting and gradually shifting them, moving us to the next stage in the evolutionary process. This research also highlights how cultural mythmaking strategies are employed and develop into historical brand narratives.

In contemporary societies, culturally diverse families and blending processes are expected outcomes when accommodating different cultural backgrounds. Manifestations of creolization processes are studied within the context of Thanksgiving celebrations, as the authors analyze how family diversity leads to blending processes that spur innovative outcomes and institutional change, and inevitably contribute to institutional longevity. Photographic and menu data, gathered from 76 Thanksgiving celebrations across three types of households, are supplemented with data from over 30 depth interviews. It is in this context of ritualized consumption that the authors examine what happens when resilient consistency meets increasing diversity and inevitable change. Findings indicate that family composition, shared conceptualizations and context matter and provide a different perspective on the links between diversity, tradition, creolization and institutional longevity.

This is intended to assist researchers in employing ethnographic methods in marketing and consumer research. It is our response to the demands of practitioners, students, and academics who want to know more about ethnographic research, but who may not have had a formal training or exposure. Ethnographic research is an instantiation of what is sometimes referred to as interpretive research. Ethnography is increasingly used to explore marketing and consumer issues, designing products, services and systems that improve people’s daily lives. We offer a step-by-step approach to conducting ethnography in business and consumer settings with some examples. We also provide a framework and some general principles.

Due to their growing social visibility and recognized buying power, multiracial individuals have emerged as a viable consumer segment among marketers. However, there is a dearth of research examining how multiracial populations experience the marketplace. In an attempt to better understand the ways in which multiracial individuals utilize consumption practices as a means of developing and expressing their racial identity, this study examined the lived experience of multiracial (black and white) women. Findings of this phenomenological study indicate that multiracial consumers engage with the marketplace to assuage racial discordance and legitimize the liminal space they occupy. This marketplace engagement is explored through themes such as living in two worlds, the mighty ringlets and forced choice. Multiracial identity is seen to be co-constituted by marketers and consumers. Existing theories proved ineffectual at fully capturing the lived experience connected to the consumer acculturation and socializat...

This paper takes a multi-method approach, combining neuroscience methods and behavioral experiments to investigate emotions triggered by olfactory-related information and related consumer decision-making outcomes. In the online context, olfactory information is limited to visual forms of triggering olfactory sensations. The effectiveness of using sensory congruent brand names in online ads to trigger emotions, and the influence on attitudes toward the ad, brand and purchase intentions are examined. Moreover, individual differences in olfactory sensitivity were considered, revealing moderating effects on cognitive and emotional processes. Findings provide managerial and organizational implications for online advertising, branding decisions and market segmentation decisions.

Although it is well-known that the U.S. population is increasingly culturally diverse, cultural diversity within U.S. households is less recognized. This study investigates the effects of cultural dynamics on decision roles and influence within the binational household. In particular, the authors study households in which one spouse is from the United States and the other is an immigrant. The analysis uses survey data and in-depth interviews. Cultural competence (i.e., knowledge of country of residence) as a source of expert power and as a form of cultural capital in family decision making emerge as overarching themes. The authors also find that one family member may engage in cultural compensatory mechanisms in consumption in response to the immigrant family member's sacrifices (i.e., moving to the United States). The authors close with a discussion of the implications for family decision-making theory, marketers, and society.

When cultures interact within the family, consumption decisions take on meaning beyond simply who is the decision maker. The usual compromises all spouses face are amplified when one spouse is displaced from another country. Interviews and observation are used to examine the lived-world of bi-national (where spouses are from different countries of origin) and mono-national families. Key themes emphasize how members of families insert their cultures in navigating consumption decisions and reconciling preferences. Using food consumption as context, findings reveal the extent to which individual partners relinquish part of their personal cultural identities to gain a synergistic collective identity at the family level. In discussing strategies of acknowledgment, negotiation, accommodation and unification, implications are drawn for family decision-making, family identity and consumer–brand relationship theory.

The binational household, in essence, is a marriage of cultures, providing a bridge between previously disconnected cultural dispositions and consumption experiences. This essay posits that studying the role and impact of this culturally diverse micro-setting adds to the field's knowledge and appreciation of culturally heterogeneous interactions. Understanding the impact of the binational family has several societal and public policy implications. The authors challenge researchers to think of the binational family as an important and relevant context in which to explore marketplace diversity, inclusion, and creativity.

Purpose The authors broaden the scope of consumer identity by introducing individuals’ olfactory abilities and discussing its impact on perception of the self, consumption behaviors, and consumer well-being. Methodology/approach The authors took a mixed-method approach by embedding smell tests during in-depth interviews. A total of 36 interviews were conducted, involving individuals with varying olfactory sensitivity levels, from decreased sensitivity, normal sensitivity, to heightened sensitivity to smell. Findings Emergent themes from the interviews include compensation, perception of self and control under three key areas: levels of olfactory sensitivity, the impact of olfactory sensitivity, and the coping strategies used by participants and their families. These findings show that olfactory sensitivity can either enhance or detract from the consumption experience or trigger memories of people, locations or experiences, indirectly affecting consumer well-being and quality of life. Practical/social implications Findings reveal that olfactory abilities not only shape and form an individual’s identity but also have a profound impact on (1) consumption behavior: time spent browsing or lingering, purchase order, product choice, or shopping venue which has immense practical implications for marketers; and (2) consumer well-being: developing coping strategies at both the individual and family level to mitigate the issues faced in consumption. Originality/value Unlike the other senses, olfactory abilities are often overseen and neglected. The authors show that olfactory abilities are both relevant and salient. The paper is forefront in demonstrating how sensory abilities shape individuals’ identities and in turn influence consumption practices and experiences.

Stevenson and Case (2005) define olfactory imagery as “being able to experience the sensation of smell when an appropriate stimulus is absent.” Olfactory imagery is a form of odor presentation in addition to actual odors. In some cases, odors associated with a product are not necessarily accessible in the marketplace. For example, products are packaged or boxed and shown visually through pictures or ads. Online stores and e-commerce are also marketplaces generally restricted to the possible presentation of sensory information, including odor/scent. However, the relationship and performance between olfactory imagery and real odors have been shown to be very similar (Carrasco and Ridout 1993; Lyman 1988). These studies used multidimensional scaling (MDS) to identify the qualitative dimensions that underlie similarity judgments between real and imagined odors. Mental imagery literature has also provided evidence that odor imagery, along with visual imagery, can be developed and processed in the brain similarly to sensory processing occurring during actual stimuli. This is shown using fMRI and PET (Djordjevic et al. 2005). These authors discovered that olfactory imagery can affect the perception of odor. What has not been explicitly examined is whether odor imagery can also affect the emotions of individuals.

Originality/value of chapter This study raises awareness about the consumption behavior of multicultural consumers and their ongoing interaction with mainstream society. Second, our research extends the current literature on multiculturalism and biculturalism, by focusing on this particular type of bicultural consumer. Finally, this research tests the innovative CBJ projective technique, as a simple and flexible interactive tool to assist researchers in exploring complex, multifaceted identities.