When consumers live several experiences in one: Syncretic thematization and consumers’ productive use of free time

Authors

Damien Chaney, South Champagne Business School
Fuat Firat, The University of Texas Rio Grande ValleyFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

12-2020

Abstract

In a culture of experiential consumption, themed consumer experiences have become highly marketable commodities, giving birth to new types of experiences. In this research, we explore these new forms of experiences that try to escape from commodification through syncretism. We conduct an ethnography of a highly themed festival, Hellfest in France. We identify that this festival offers an experience based on cognitive, sensory, and praxeological syncretism which aims to re-enchant as well as disorient consumers. Since syncretic experiences are perceived as several sub-experiences in one, we also show how these new types of experiences are rooted in a new conception of space-time in which consumers want productively to collect memorable experiences.

Comments

© The Author(s) 2020. Accepted Manuscript.

Recommended Citation

Chaney, D. and Fırat, F.A., 2020. When consumers live several experiences in one: Syncretic thematization and consumers’ productive use of free time. Marketing Theory, 20(4), pp.411-428. https://doi.org/10.1177/1470593120926248

Publication Title

Marketing Theory

DOI

10.1177/1470593120926248