Krittinee Nuttavuthisit

Themed flagship brand stores in the new millennium: theory, practice, prospects

Abstract The flagship brand store is an increasingly popular venue used by marketers to build relationships with consumers. As we move further into an experience economy in the new millennium, retailers are refining the flagship brand store into new forms such as the themed retail brand store. This new form not only promotes a more engaging experience of the brand’s essence but also satisfies consumers looking for entertainment alongside their shopping. In this article, we conceptualize and explore themed flagship brand stores in terms of the mythological appeal of the narratives conveyed by their physical and symbolic structure. We utilize a field study of ESPN Zone Chicago to examine these features in a sports-themed retail brand store. Finally, we offer some projections, based on our research, of the possible transformations of the flagship brand store as the new century unfolds. We conclude that mindscape-related themes, which combine entertainment, therapeutics, and spiritual growth, are at the frontier of retail theming.

Ludic Agency and Retail Spectacle

Spectacular, themed environments have been theorized as places where play is limited and consumer agency is overpowered. In a multiperspectival ethnographic engagement with ESPN Zone Chicago, we find consumers resisting the rules, but only to a limited degree. Spectacular consumption possesses a do‐it‐yourself quality unrecognized in prior theory. Technology and screens are important to this form of play, which exhibits a transcendent character built of liminoid elements and consumer fantasy. Yet, even in ostensibly overpowering spectacular consumption environments, consumption still is negotiated dialectically; consumer and producer interests are embedded in one another in a process of “interagency.”

Being in the Zone Staging Retail Theater at ESPN Zone Chicago

Experiential consumption is a topic of growing interest in the social scientific and managerial literatures. While consumer experience is profoundly shaped by the built environment, a critical eye has been cast on the oppressive nature of themed environments. While offering multisensory sensual opportunities, themed retail environments cater primarily to the visual impulse and have been theorized to both direct and misdirect attention in ways beneficial to marketers. In this ethnography of the servicescape of ESPN Zone Chicago, the ways in which retail theater encourages consumers to animate a themed sporting venue and the ways consumers respond to these cultural prompts are explored. The authors explore the instrumental relationship between retail space and consumer experience in themed environments and attend to the interrelated role of the visual, the sacred, brand, mass media, and sport. Conclusions find that consumers watch marketers in these spaces as much as marketers watch consumers—a finding termed obverse panopticism.

The discourses of marketing and development: towards 'critical transformative marketing research'

Abstract In order to understand the connection between development, marketing and transformative consumer research (TCR), with its attendant interest in promoting human well-being, this article begins by charting the links between US ‘exceptionalism’, ‘Manifest Destiny’ and modernisation theory, demonstrating the confluence of US perspectives and experiences in articulations and understandings of the contributions of marketing practice and consumer research to society. Our narrative subsequently engages with the rise of social marketing (1960s-) and finally TCR (2006-). We move beyond calls for an appreciation of paradigm plurality to encourage TCR scholars to adopt a multiple paradigmatic approach as part of a three-pronged strategy that encompasses an initial ‘provisional moral agnosticism’. As part of this stance, we argue that scholars should value the insights provided by multiple paradigms, turning each paradigmatic lens sequentially on to the issue of the relationship between marketing, development and consumer well-being. After having scrutinised these issues using multiple perspectives, scholars can then decide whether to pursue TCR-led activism. The final strategy that we identify is termed ‘critical intolerance’.

Developing Markets? Understanding the Role of Markets and Development at the Intersection of Macromarketing and Transformative Consumer Research (TCR)

Situated at the intersection of markets and development, this commentary aims to promote a cross-fertilization of macromarketing and Transformative Consumer Research (TCR) that directs attention to the sociocultural context and situational embeddedness of consumer experience and well-being, while acknowledging complex, systemic interdependencies between markets, marketing, and society. Based on a critical review of the meaning of development and an interrogation of various developmental discourses, the authors develop a conceptual framework that brings together issues of development, well-being, and social inequalities. We suggest that these issues are better understood and addressed when examined via grounded investigations of the role of markets in shaping the management of resources, consumer agency, power inequalities and ethics. The use of markets as units of analysis may lead to further cross-fertilizations of TCR and macromarketing and to more comprehensive theorizing and transformational impact. Two empirical cases are provided to illustrate our framework.

Themed Flagship Brand Stores in the New Millennium

Einzelhandelsmarkte sind diversifizierter und fragmentierter denn je; sie konfrontieren die Konsumenten mit einem Ubermas an Informationen und Alternativen. Um die Konsumenten anzuziehen, haben die Handelskonzeme begonnen, ihre Hauser und Einkaufstatten atmospharisch aufzuladen, um den Konsumenten dadurch ein deutlich einpragsameres und attraktiveres Einkaufserlebnis bieten zu konnen.2 Entertainment-Berater Michael J. Wolf (1999) meint hierzu, das Shopping aufgrund der Tatsache, das das Entertainmentmotiv bis in die letzten Nischen der Wirtschaft vorgedrungen sei, inzwischen zu etwas geworden ist, was er „Shoppertainment“ nennt. Dieser offensichtlich futuristische Trend ist tatsachlich die Wiederkehr eines althergebrachten Imperativs. So erzahlen uns Anthropologen, das die Ursprunge des kommerziellen Marktplatzes bei den festlich arrangierten Marktplatzen fruherer Zeiten liegen, bei Platzen, die sich traditionellerweise an den Randern der Stadte befanden, wo Vorfuhrungen, exotische Personen, Mysterien und Gaukler zugegen waren (vgl. Lears 1994; Sherry 1995). Um die Aktualisierung dieser Tradition zu verstehen, bei der die Geschafte Geschichten erzahlen, musten die Einzelhandelsmanager der asthetischen Seite ihrer Verkaufsladen sowie den Verkaufsprozessen besondere Aufmerksamkeit schenken, mittels derer es den Konsumenten gelingt, die physische Erfahrung solcher Platze mit Bedeutung aufzuladen.

The Importance of Consumer Trust for the Emergence of a Market for Organic Food: The Case of Thailand

The organic food market in Thailand is still at an early stage of development, only about 0.1% of the domestic food market. In Bangkok and a few other big cities, organic food is now available in specialty stores and in upscale supermarket chains, at about twice the price of conventional mass-produced agricultural products. Hence, only urban, well-educated, better-off families have access to and can afford organic food. Many consumers fear being cheated when buying “green” products, but there is a lack of research on the role of trust for the adoption of new “green” products. In Thai culture, there is a strong aversion against losing face, which might be an impediment for introducing new premium-priced products with credence attributes. A related norm is to be kreng-jai (not causing inconvenience or discomfort) to others, especially respectable persons. Most Thai people would disregard lack of firm evidence in order to achieve smooth relationships. In this paper, the cultural influence of trust on consumer adoption of organic food in Thailand is explored by means of a mixture of qualitative and quantitative methods. Data were collected by means of two focus groups with consumers, ten depth interviews (minimum one hour long) with key stakeholders and a mall-intercept survey outside four supermarkets in Bangkok that sell organic food. Participants were screened for basic knowledge and awareness of organic food. The interviews and the survey study revealed that although most participants were aware of organic food, most of them could not explain the details of its qualifying characteristics or differentiate it from the other “safe” options. Thai consumers’ attitudes towards buying organic food primarily depend on how healthy and environmentally friendly they believe organic food is. In the qualitative interviews, many people referred to cancer prevention and a common statement was that we are surrounded by toxic influences in everyday life. Hence, they would like to find better alternatives, if possible. The intention to buy organic food depends mostly on personal preferences, but with a considerable influence from perceived social expectations as well. Consistent with the latter, many participants in the qualitative interviews made reference to the need to take good care of one’s family or being looked after by one’s parents who prefer the healthier food options. Regression analysis shows a strong relationship between behavioral intention and buying behavior regarding organic food. After controlling for buying intentions, mistrust in the authenticity of food sold as organic food has a significant negative impact on self-reported buying behavior. This is consistent with many non-buyers who participated in the qualitative interviews and expressed positive attitudes towards organic food refusing to pay a “stupidity fee” for an illusory premium.