Bringing sensory anthropology to consumer research

Purpose Multisensory stimulation is integral to experiential consumption. However, a gap persists between recognition of the importance of multisensory stimulation and the research techniques used to study the effects of such stimulation on consumption experiences. This article draws on sensory anthropology to narrow the gap. Design/methodology/approach Sensory anthropology has the potential to help consumer researchers understand multisensory stimulation and its effect on consumption experiences. To highlight this potential, ethnographic fieldwork is reported for two related experiential settings: yacht racing and adventure racing. Findings It is shown how consumer researchers can apply concepts and data collection techniques from sensory anthropology to derive powerful insights into consumption experiences. A set of guidelines and examples is derived from the embodied concepts associated with sensory anthropology, namely, kinaesthetic schema, bodily mimesis, the mindful body and local biology. These concepts are used to comprehend how consumers experience sensations phenomenologically, understand them culturally and re-enact them socially. Practical implications By acknowledging and engaging the senses, researchers can acquire embodied information that would not be evident from the conventional interview, survey or experimental data. Sensory anthropology adds to what is known from psychological, social and cultural sources to enable organisations to differentiate their offerings by means of the senses and sensory expressions, not only in yacht and adventure racing but potentially in many other experiential settings, such as travel, shopping, entertainment and immersive gaming. Originality/value This article offers distinct and original methodological insights for consumer researchers by focusing on concepts and data collection techniques that assist the study of experiential consumption from an embodied and corporeal perspective

Consumer Savvy: Conceptualisation and Measurement.

The notion of savvy consumers increasingly appears in the e-marketing and e-management literatures, usually in discussions about the importance of consumer-centricity. A synthesis of the literature identifies six broad characteristics of these savvy consumers: they are enabled by competencies in relation to technological sophistication, interpersonal networking, online networking and marketing/advertising literacy, and they are empowered by consumer self-efficacy and by their expectations of firms. This understanding of consumers is formalised by developing a SAVVY scale. Standard scale development procedures are applied using a sample from an online panel of consumers. As part of the process of validating the new scale, comparisons are made with related, established scales -- focusing on measures of consumer advantage (persuasion knowledge and market mavens) and consumer disadvantage (confusion arising from over-choice and vulnerability at the shopping interface). Our findings show the value of formal, empirically-grounded measures of consumer savvy, something that has been absent from many previous commentaries on the characteristics of savvy new consumers

A beta-logistic model of mode choice: Goodness of fit and intertemporal dependence

Choice of travel mode on shopping trips is examined using a beta-logistic model. Predicted and observed probabilities are compared to assess goodness of fit. The effect of intertemporal dependence is considered; however, recourse to higher-order models does not improve predictions and does not give a better account of the data.

Strategic employer brands : current domain, future directions

15 page(s

Employer brands

Employer branding is defined and the virtuous circles of employer branding are described. These comprise an outer circle (the outcomes of employer branding on the external position of firms), an inner circle (the impact on the internal capabilities of firms), and interactions (where internal and external outcomes intersect). There follows a discussion of the identification of successful and unsuccessful employer brands. Finally, a call is made for a more holistic, process-based view of employer branding.20 page(s