Dipping into the Knowledge Pool

Miller‘s overarching argument is that neither shopping nor consumption is ’neutral’ and socially or culturally isolated. This point should not be glossed over. By its very nature, commercial research (particularly qualitative research) is ad hoc in nature, dealing with specific projects and problems as and when they arise.

Focusing on isolated projects, however, can mean a failure to understand broader social and cultural dynamics that directly impact upon behaviour – even behaviour as apparently mundane as shopping. Improving the quality of our delivery to research buyers is not just about dealing with specific projects as well as we can. It is also about understanding the broader social and cultural forces at play that help shape how (and what) we buy and consume.

Academic research and thinking offers a potentially stimulating and useful stream of information and insight. There is an immense reservoir of knowledge and insight open to us, but we may have to be more open to seeing things differently. Sometimes we need to be shocked out of our models of thinking, to see the world in a different light. Stepping into – even grappling with – a new language and alien perspective can help us recognise both our current limitations and our future possibilities.

We should perhaps look no further than Christmas just past to see the value of ’dipping‘ into this reservoir of knowledge. How much research on shopping at Christmas has been commissioned over the last 12 months? How many times have gifts and ’gifting‘ been mentioned in client briefs, agency debriefs and in general conversation over the last few months?

I know from the work done at my own company that such issues are never far away. In a world where the search for value-adding is intense, understanding gifting becomes ever more important.

Gifting has been the subject of literally thousands of publications and commentaries within the social sciences, and particularly anthropology. The reach of inquiry has been global and much has been dependent on the use of ethnography. Why has gifting held such appeal?

Academics have long since recognised that by understanding the process of gifting we can better grasp the factors that structure culture and society. Very simply put, gifting is not just about giving. It is, in many instances, about the recognition and expression of culturally-rooted conventions and social relations.

Gifting is also about a complex process of communication whereby giving is also a process of receiving. Commercial researchers who work in this field will recognise these insights, but may lack frameworks through which to push their ideas further. If you‘re interested in gifting, try for example Carrier (1995), Gregory (1982), Lederman (1986), Mauss (1966), Strathern (1988) or Weiner (1992).
 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 NEXT >>