Introduction: Envisioning Sustainabilities

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Sustainable Consumption, Consumer Culture and the Politics of a Megatrend

Three things must be clarified before we can proceed with the examination. These are the terms sustainability, politics and megatrend. Unfortunately, all three are ambiguous and few disciplines have arrived at a consistent definition for any of them. While we will not resolve the ambiguity to everyone's satisfaction, we will attempt to achieve an extensional bargain (Rappaport, 1953) through which we develop an understanding of how we are using the terms. First, sustainable development became a construct in 1987 through the Brundtland Report (Brundtland, 1987) and has remained ambiguous ever since. This is where we begin our examination of sustainable consumption. Megatrend, as a phenomenon, has been defined in a multitude of ways over the past thirty-five years. In this chapter, we adopt the criteria set forth by Mittelstaedt et al. (2014) for categorising megatrends, but will use a broader interpretation of what constitutes megatrends. Finally, our use of the term political will be broader than the more common use of the term relating to legal structures, laws or agencies, and include the underlying institutions that frame the more micro aspects of politics. This approach is necessary because of the scale of sustainability and megatrends in both time and space

‘It’s hard to be what you can’t see’ - gender representation in marketing’s academic journals

This commentary explores gender representation in marketing’s academic journals. We explore three key areas a) the gender composition of editorial boards, b) special issue celebrations and c) awards. We highlight how in 2020, 68% of editorial board positions are held by male colleagues, and consider the consequences of this both in terms of providing role models for female academics – ‘it’s hard to be what you can’t see’ (Wright Edelman, M. [2015]. Child watch® column: It’s hard to be what you can’t see. https://www.childrensdefense.org/child-watch-columns/health/2015/its-hard-to-be-what-you-cant-see/) – but also in there being less opportunities for women to avail of key indicators of esteem utilised in promotions processes. We argue for an intersectional approach to addressing injustice and inequalities within our academy. We propose a programme for change – revolving around decision-making, quotas, awards, and celebrations – for the gatekeepers in our field to conside

Ambiguity of Purpose and the Politics of Failure: Sustainability as Macromarketing's Compelling Political Calling

In this commentary we provide a brief review of sustainability research in the journal since its inception. Next, we offer an opinion on macromarketing’s ambiguity to sustainability as a political project and a resultant failure to provide substantial emphasis beyond the Development School for solutions in the field. Despite macromarketing’s centrality to marketing theory, the work in the journal has not had the impact it deserves in wider sustainability discourses. As two macromarketers with a lifelong interest in sustainability, we argue for more political reflection within the journal. We contend these current times of crisis require us to better listen to and act on prior counsel from critical and political perspectives within the journal, and submit, á la George Fisk, the journal’s first editor, that the politics of the day demand a persistence to continue to ask difficult questions. From a sustainability perspective this would be to consider how best to engender future macromarketing research in the field as a political project

Seeking sustainable futures in marketing and consumer research

Purpose Seeking ways towards a sustainable future is the most dominant socio-political challenge of our time. Marketing should have a crucial role to play in leading research and impact in sustainability, yet it is limited by relying on cognitive behavioural theories rooted in the 1970s, which have proved to have little bearing on actual behaviour. This paper interrogates why marketing is failing to address the challenge of sustainability, and identifies alternative approaches.Design/methodology The stagnation in theoretical development contextualises the problem, followed by a focus on four key themes to promote theory development: developing sustainable people; models of alternative consumption; building towards sustainable markets; and theoretical domains for the future. These themes were developed and refined during the 2018 Academy of Marketing workshop on seeking sustainable futures. MacInnis’s (2011) framework for conceptual contributions in marketing provides the narrative thread and structure.Findings The current state of play is explicated, combining the four themes and MacInnis’s framework to identify the failures and gaps in extant approaches to the field.Research Implications This paper sets a new research agenda for the marketing discipline in our quest for sustainable futures in marketing and consumer research.Practical Implications Approaches are proposed which will allow the transformation of the dominant socio-economic systems towards a model capable of promoting a sustainable future.Originality/value The paper provides thought leadership in marketing and sustainability as befits the special issue, by moving beyond description of the problem to making a conceptual contribution and setting a research agenda for the future.<br/

You say you want a revolution:Music in Advertising and Pseudo-counterculture

Using the example of the song Revolution by the Beatles and its use in a TV ad for Nike, this paper explores the conference theme of the impact of marketing and marketing systems in society from the subtheme of art and aesthetics in markets. We consider the role of music in advertisements as the appropriation and negation of counterculture against Adorno & Horkheimer’s critique of the commodification form of the music itself independent of appropriation. The paper considers these research problematics from the perspective of the musicians themselves

Titanic: Consuming the Myths and Meanings of an Ambiguous Brand

Myths have come of age in consumer research. In the 22 years since Levy’s inaugural article, the literature has grown at an impressive rate. Yet important questions remain unanswered: What makes some myths especially meaningful to consumers? Why are certain consumer myths more prevalent and less perishable than others? This article argues that ambiguity is an influential factor. Using the RMS Titanic as an empirical exemplar, it unpacks the principal forms of myth-informed ambiguity surrounding “the unsinkable brand.” Predicated on William Empson’s hitherto unsung principles of literary criticism, the article posits that ambiguity in its multifaceted forms is integral to outstanding branding and consumer meaning making, as well as myth appeal more generally