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Consumer Experiences and Market Resistance: An Extension of Resistance Theories

Consumer Experiences and Market Resistance: An Extension of Resistance Theories. Advances in Consumer Research September 29, 2006, Orlando, FL Angeline Close University of Nevada Las Vegas George M. Zinkhan University of Georgia. Introducing “Market Resistance”.

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Consumer Experiences and Market Resistance: An Extension of Resistance Theories

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  1. Consumer Experiences andMarket Resistance: An Extension of Resistance Theories Advances in Consumer Research September 29, 2006, Orlando, FL Angeline Close University of Nevada Las Vegas George M. Zinkhan University of Georgia

  2. Introducing “Market Resistance” • U.S. consumers often resist not just promotional messages, but entire markets. • Consumers exude behavioral resistance from hesitance to boycotts to an entire market & it’s related activities.

  3. "I am NOT Drinking Merlot!!!" ~Wine snob Miles before a date Merlot, the U.S. top selling red wine had been rising post-Sideways HH purchases are down 3% (vs the 12 week period in 04) Suddenly, America's favorite red wine is uncool Resistance & the Marketplace

  4. In the literature: Avoidance of unpleasant or dangerous feelings (Perls et al. 1951) Desire to counteract someone else’s attempt to limit one’s choices (Brehm 1996) Non-compliance w/ a directive (Newman 2002) Feeling of ambivalence about change (Arkowitz 2002) Here, I present it as: A behavioral opposition to stereotyped status- quo behaviors and rituals Resistance Defined

  5. Importance of Resistance Research • Marketing scholars often focus on enhancing persuasion or communication • Why not also focus more on decreasing consumer resistance? • Yet to develop an integrated theoretical perspective of resistance of the marketplace and its offerings impacts consumer behavior (Forunier 1998) • Focus on the consumer characteristics that may contribute to market resistance

  6. Objectives • To introduce a definition of market resistance • To understand and explain consumer experiences that are associated with resistance to a market and its related events • To show what consumers are moving towards via their acts of resistance • To expand resistance theory (i.e., to the context of a retail holiday promotion)

  7. Building Resistance Theory • Past work (e.g., Petty et al.) resistance to a message or a persuasive attack • New Perspective: resistance to a series of holiday messages, promotions, marketplace activities & consumers’ built-up associations: • Affective (e.g., “I hate Valentine’s Day!”) • Cognitive (e.g., “I don’t believe it’s a real holiday!”) • Behavioral (e.g., “I won’t buy the lovey-dovey stuff!”)

  8. Exemplary Context: Resistance in the Valentine’s Holiday Market • Established sociocultural “norms” • Distinct consumer rituals • Latent cultural tension: corporate objectives & promotions, consumer culture, consumers’ private intimate space, P2P relationships • Economic Significance $13 Billion ’05 • Some insights generalizable to other event marketing or “staged events”

  9. Contextual Literature Review • Gift Exchange (in Romantic Relationships) Roles & Meanings are context & occasion bound & relationship dependent (Huang & Yu 2000; Belk & Coon 1993) • Pure Gifts, Altruism & Obligation (Arnould, Price & Zinkhan 2004; Polonsky et al. 2000; Otnes, Ruth & Milbourne 1994) • Planned Purchases & Procrastination (Netemeyer, Andrews & Durvasula 1993)

  10. Multiple Methods Employed (‘00-05) Inductive Theory (Building) Approach via: Consumer Survey Consumer Diaries Consumer Group Interviews Internet Diaries & Postings Retail/E-tail Managerial Interviews Retail/E-tail Observations

  11. Consumer Characteristics Unfulfilled Expectations* -Childhood Egalitarian Expectations -Holiday Heroines -Confusion about Expectations Exclusion* - Invitation Only -A Couples’ Holiday -Self or Externally Imposed Materialism & Terminal Gift Syndrome -Sake of Gift Ritual -Deeper Meanings of Gift Exchange Obligations -Romantic, Familial, & Friendly -Gender Based -Obligatory Spending Market Resistance -Avoidance -Reactance -Non-Compliance with Directive Role Exhaustion -Gender Roles -Multiple Roles Low Need Perception* -For Holiday in General -For Specified Day to Exhibit Love Marketing Communication Environment Message Timing & Overflow -Holiday Creep -Message Overflow Consumer Creation - New Traditions - New Meanings -New Rituals -New Trends Commercialization of Intimacy -Tainted Love -Holiday Hype Corporate Ownership -Blaming Marketers & Retailers -Holiday Ownership Tradition vs. Technology -Nostalgia & the Digitization of Tradition -E-Communities & E-CMC

  12. Consumer Level Focus Environments Marketing Communication Cultural Social Economic Unfulfilled Expectations Exclusion Market Resistance Materialism Obligations Consumer Creation Role Exhaustion Non-Belief

  13. Facilitating Condition 1 Shattered Expectations • Consumers in new relationship • Females (i.e., “heroines of the holiday) • Gifts, dates, sex & intimacy • Confused about partner’s expectations • Childhood egalitarian expectations “I think it's up to the individual and if she or hedoesn't like it then let them hate life.” [M]

  14. Facilitating Condition 2Perceived Exclusion • Portrayal as “couples’ holiday” excludes many • Casual daters, Non-traditional relationships • Geographically separated loved ones • Suggested Promotion Strategies: “Target singles or those who do not like Valentine's Day in ways to promote self-esteem or recognition of individualism” [F] “Make it Singles’ Awareness Day.” [M] “Create anti-Valentine's day cards or special rewards for singles (coupons, discounts, etc.).” [M]

  15. Perceived Exclusion “Well it's been almost 2 months since Christmas, & us single folks are finally recovering from the psychological damage making it through the holiday season does to us. So as I am almost fully recuperated myself, I would like to extend a warm thanks to Hallmark, the official sponsor of Valentine’s Day, for reminding me that without a significant other, how truly worthless my life is.… In my defense, who wants to celebrate a holiday whose initials are VD anyway? ” [F, E, 2-14-04]

  16. Facilitating Condition 3 Terminal Gift Exchange • Gift Exchange just for the sake of it; devoid of meaning “Valentine’s Day is far too materialistically-driven.” [F] “I think the focus needs to be spending time together- not money on each other!” [F]

  17. Terminal Gift ExchangeTheory in Action

  18. Facilitating Condition 4 Perceived Obligations • Gift purchases (often lavish) • Gift(s) unnecessary to continue (LTR) • Relationship investing (STR) • Obligatory spending “It is a cheesy, overblown, stupid holiday to force you to spend your money on each other.” [F] “No! It's a big fake day. It makes you do things even if you don't want to.” [M]

  19. Facilitating Condition 5 Role Exhaustion “It’s time to show not only love for my spouse but respect and admiration for her role as wife, homemaker and mother.” [M] • Governed by gender roles “The male is the wooer.The female is to be wooed.” [F, D] • Heroines of the Holiday “Marketing prepares us to be pampered.” [F, G]

  20. Facilitating Condition 6 Need Perception • Love should not be “reserved” for this day • Society interprets it Incorrectly • Celebrated in the private Sphere • Marketers abuse “vulnerable” consumers “Valentine’s Day is a spiteful marketing technique designed to take advantage of people in love!” [M] “Push a "do a little something for yourself" campaign- quit marketing to people in love!” [F]

  21. Need PerceptionTime Constraints • Hate the constraint, not the concept “I think it’s a day that forces feelings we should exhibit everyday. In theory, it’s fine but we should act like this on a random Tuesday in November instead of just one day. Plus I hate the whole marketing of gifts & guilt thrown on this one day.” [M, S] “I think if you love someone, you don't need a special day to show it. Every day is suitable for this.” [M, E, 2-15-00] “I hate this day, b/c there are so many people who interpret it in a wrong way. If we love someone we'll always love forever & ever. No matter what day it is.” [M, E, 2-0600]

  22. Findings in line withResistance Theory • (Consumers) will actively counteract (marketers) attempts to limit choices (Brehm 1996) • (Consumers) will not be likely to comply w/ specific or prescribed behaviors • A motivation to oppose (retailer) suggestions sparks others to be “non-participators” • Some persuade others to be “non-participants” • There are different levels of resistance, each needing their own study and definition

  23. Implications For Consumers: • Remember key meanings (i.e., love) behind purchases • Include “excluded” segments (e.g., w/ singles’ gift registries, singles events, e-dating sites) • Consumer creation via acts of Voluntary Simplicity • Create new traditions with new meanings during market “staged” events

  24. Next Steps • Consumer-level facilitators are just one component of the integrated theoretical perspective. • Work needed on the marketing communication-level facilitators • Work needed on the socio-cultural facilitators • Work needed on degrees of resistance of the marketplace

  25. Shopper Characteristics -Unfulfilled Expectations -Perceived Exclusion -Lack of Perceived Meaning -Perceived Obligations -Role Exhaustion -Non-Belief -Values Communication Environment -Information Overload -Corporate “Ownership” -Marketers’ Misinterpretation -Technology Glitches Market Resistance -Passive Resistance -Active Resistance* Socio-Cultural Environment -Reference Group -Gender Roles -Individualistic Culture 1. Hesitation -Shopping Procrastination -Purposeful Delay -Voluntary Simplicity 2. Restriction -Price Ceilings -Self Gifts -Retail Resistance - Gift Resistance 3.Non-Participation -Non-Recognition -Non-Searching -Non-Browsing -Non-Shopping -Non-Buying 4. Activism* - WOM(-) -Resistance e-communities -Mobilization -Demobilization

  26. RESERVE SLIDES

  27. Unfulfilled Expectations + + Perceived Exclusion + Shoppers’ Heightened Opportunities (Holiday Excitement) Terminal Gift Exchange + + Perceived Obligations + Shopping Procrastination - Role Exhaustion + Retail/E-tail Activity Market Resistance* - Holiday Non-Belief + - Price Sensitivity/ Self-Imposed Ceilings Message Overflow + + + + Over- Commercialization Self Gift Giving + Retailers’ Holiday “Ownership” + New Technology to Old Tradition + + + +

  28. Facilitating Conditions: Communication Environment Selected Predictor Retail Outcomes Message Overflow + Retail/E-tail Activity -Searching -Browsing -Shopping -Buying -Positive WOM Over- Commercialization + Market Resistance - Corporate Holiday “Ownership” + + New Technology to Old Tradition

  29. Focused Research Stream:Marketplace Activities & IT • Study 1: • The Evolution of Technology • & Consumer Dating Behaviors Today’s Focus: Study 5* Market Resistance Building Theory (Resistance to Marketplace Activities) • Study 2: • e-Dating: • A Social Exchange Theory Perspective • Study 3: • A Holiday Loved & Loathed: • Consumer Rituals for Valentine’s Day • Study 4: • A Retail & e-tail Perspective • of Valentine’s Day Activities

  30. Multi-Method Data Analysis • Survey data- correlations, cross tabs • Qualitative data-iterative analysis via RQs & extant themes • Axial, open, & selective coding • Reveal emergent patterns & themes (Wolcott 1990) • Focus on themes of retail importance or theory advancement • Use suggested approaches (Spiggle 1994) to increase validity & reliability

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