New York
LondonBeijing
Young Consumers, Deprivation, and Christmas Commercialisation

Young Consumers, Deprivation, and Christmas Commercialisation

Diliara Mingazova (University of East London, UK) and Ayantunji Gbadamosi (University of East London, UK)
Copyright: © 2022 |Pages: 19
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-6684-3590-8.ch010
OnDemand:
(Individual Chapters)
Available
$37.50
Current Special Offers
No Current Special Offers
TOTAL SAVINGS: $37.50

Abstract

Christmas is a special period in most countries of the world for many consumers. It is often associated with consumption on a considerable scale. This is especially true for children who are driven by a high need for affiliation which prompts their requests for goods and services that will give them the opportunity to interact with other children. Achieving this is a great challenge for many children in various households due to their ongoing experience of deprivation which comes in various ways such as food security, fuel poverty, and presents or gifts. This chapter is an eclectic synthesis of these issues to highlight the imbalance in society as these children experience exclusion from the mainstream commercial system as a result of poverty. The specific relevance of consumer culture theory (CCT) is linked to the commercialization of Christmas and living in economically disadvantaged circumstances in relation to this consumer segment. The implications of the discourse in this chapter are far-reaching to many ramifications.
Chapter Preview
Top

Background

Children as consumers are studied from various perspectives in the field of marketing. Some scholars view them as developing beings, others suggest viewing children in here and now and as autonomous individuals and consumers in their own rights (Nairn et al. 2008 and Martens et al. 2004). In relation to adult consumers, Consumer Culture Theory (CCT) advances our understanding of consumption and consumer behaviour and represents, according to Arnould & Thompson (2005, p.868): ‘a family of theoretical perspectives that address the dynamic relationships between consumer actions, the marketplace, and cultural meanings’. This theory is based on the well-studied assumptions that products/ brands are being purchased, not only for utility reasons, but also for their symbolic meanings (Elliot & Wattanasuwan, 1998; Levy, 1959). Furthermore, consumers are viewed as active individuals who, through consumption and the symbolic meanings of brands, define themselves and locate themselves in a social world (Patterson & O’Malley, 2006; Elliot & Wattanasuwan, 1988; Fournier, 1998; Levy, 1959). At the same time, marketing scholarship now acknowledges that children are consumers in their own right and consumers who actively influence the purchasing power of their parents (Gbadamosi, 2010, 2012; Buckingham, 2011; Marshall, 2010; McNeal, 1999). However, the literature on children as active consumers remains very limited (Lopez & Rodrriguez (2018).

Complete Chapter List

Search this Book:
Reset