Consumer Experiences andMarket Resistance: An Extension of Resistance Theories

Advances in Consumer ResearchSeptember 29, 2006, Orlando, FL

Angeline CloseUniversity of Nevada Las Vegas

George M. ZinkhanUniversity of Georgia

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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.

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Resistance & the Marketplace

"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

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Resistance Defined

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 behavioralopposition tostereotyped status-quo behaviors andrituals

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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

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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)

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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:

a) Affective (e.g., “I hate Valentine’s Day!”)b) Cognitive (e.g., “I don’t believe it’s a real

holiday!”) c) Behavioral (e.g., “I won’t buy the lovey-dovey

stuff!”)

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Exemplary Context: Resistance in the Valentine’s Holiday Market

1. Established sociocultural “norms”2. Distinct consumer rituals3. Latent cultural tension: corporate

objectives & promotions, consumer culture, consumers’ private intimate space, P2P relationships

4. Economic Significance $13 Billion ’055. Some insights generalizable to other

event marketing or “staged events”

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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)

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Multiple Methods Employed (‘00-05)

Inductive Theory (Building) Approach via:1. Consumer Survey2. Consumer Diaries3. Consumer Group Interviews 4. Internet Diaries & Postings5. Retail/E-tail Managerial Interviews6. Retail/E-tail Observations

Method Sample FocusManagerialInterviews[R]*(n=18)

-Corporate Marketing & Retail Executives -Managers of Retail Establishments-Individual & Chain Stores-National Sample

In-store aspects, targeting, positioning, pricing & promotional strategy

Observations/Fieldwork[O](n=41)

-In store/virtual store-Retail Employees & Shoppers-Valentine’s Gift Givers-Males & Females-Various Ages-Various Relationship Statuses

Interaction with various managers,employees, & shoppers on the week of & on Valentine’s Days& observatory field notes

Survey[S](n=198)

-College students-Males & Females-Age 18-28-Currently in a romantic relationship

Gift expectations, purchase motiva-tions,

timing, actual purchase behavior,comfort level & spending level,open-ended comments

ConsumerDiaries[D](n=149)

-Males & Females-Ages 18-47-Various Relationship Statuses

Cultural rituals, gender roles, enjoyment factor, marketing & retail associations,comparison to other holidays

Online/e- Diaries***[E](n=47)

-Posters to online diaries & boards-Males & Females-Various ages-Various relationship status

Naturalistic consumer thought

GroupInterviews[G](n=6)

-College students-Females-Age 18-22-Currently in a romantic relationship

Rituals, meanings, traditions,purchases, meanings behindpurchases & us-gifts

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Materialism & Terminal Gift Syndrome-Sake of Gift Ritual

-Deeper Meanings of Gift Exchange

UnfulfilledExpectations*

-Childhood Egalitarian Expectations-Holiday Heroines

-Confusion about Expectations

Obligations-Romantic, Familial, & Friendly

-Gender Based-Obligatory Spending Market Resistance

-Avoidance-Reactance

-Non-Compliance with Directive

Exclusion*- Invitation Only

-A Couples’ Holiday-Self or Externally Imposed

Message Timing & Overflow-Holiday Creep

-Message OverflowCommercialization of Intimacy

-Tainted Love-Holiday Hype

Corporate Ownership-Blaming Marketers & Retailers

-Holiday Ownership

Role Exhaustion-Gender Roles-Multiple Roles

Low Need Perception*-For Holiday in General

-For Specified Day to Exhibit Love

Consumer Characteristics

Marketing Communication Environment

Tradition vs. Technology-Nostalgia & the Digitization of Tradition

-E-Communities & E-CMC

Consumer Creation- New Traditions- New Meanings

-New Rituals-New Trends

Unfulfilled Expectations

Exclusion

Materialism

Obligations

Market Resistance

Consumer Creation

Consumer Level FocusEnvironments

Marketing Communication

CulturalSocial

Economic

Role Exhaustion

Non-Belief

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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 he

doesn't like it then let them hate life.” [M]

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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]

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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]

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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]

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Terminal Gift Exchange Theory in Action

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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 thingseven if you don't want to.” [M]

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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 bepampered.” [F, G]

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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]

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Need Perception Time 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]

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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

TheoreticalDomain

Contribution Definitions Proposing Here

ResistanceTheoryPsychology, Mass-Com,Sociology:

(e.g., McGuire 1964,Brehm 1996,

Newman 2002,Petty et al. 2004)

ResistanceChange-oriented process followingstereotyped sequences of status quobehaviors (e.g., holiday activities)

Market Resistance*

Consumer opposition to traditions in the marketplace, with the purpose of creating new behaviors(e.g., hesitates to participate in market activities, does not participate, actively boycotts an entire market)

Retail Resistance

Shopper hesitates to visit, avoids, &/or encourages others to avoid specificretailers related to the market

Gift Resistance

Consumer sets price limits to giftexchanges, does not give gifts at all, &/or encourages others not to engage ingift exchange

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ImplicationsFor 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 SimplicityCreate new traditions with new meanings during

market “staged” events

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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

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*

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

1. Hesitation-Shopping Pro-crastination-Purposeful Delay-Voluntary Sim-plicity

Socio-Cultural Environment-Reference Group-Gender Roles-Individualistic Culture

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RESERVE SLIDES

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Terminal GiftExchange

UnfulfilledExpectations

PerceivedObligations

Role ExhaustionRetail/E-tail

Activity

Over-Commercialization

Message Overflow

HolidayNon-Belief

Retailers’ Holiday “Ownership”

Market Resistance*

SelfGift Giving

Shopping Procrastination

Price Sensitivity/Self-Imposed Ceilings

New Technology toOld Tradition

PerceivedExclusion Shoppers’ Heightened

Opportunities(Holiday Excitement)

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Message Overflow

Over-Commercialization

Corporate Holiday

“Ownership”

New Technology to Old Tradition

Market Resistance

Retail/E-tail Activity

-Searching-Browsing-Shopping

-Buying-Positive

WOM

Facilitating Conditions:Communication Environment Retail Outcomes

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Selected Predictor

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Focused Research Stream:Marketplace Activities & IT

Study 1: The Evolution of Technology

& Consumer Dating Behaviors

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

Today’s Focus:Study 5*

Market ResistanceBuilding Theory(Resistance toMarketplace Activities)

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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