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vision of marketing manipulation isn’t marketing literature (e.g. Brownlie et al., This is the kind of marketing practice often
plausible on an individual level. The 1999). I have drawn on the psychology of described (inaccurately) as ‘subliminal’
science of consumer control simply isn’t rhetoric and ideology (e.g. in Billig, 1987, because viewers are seldom consciously
advanced enough to have such an effect. 1991) to try to show how popular aware that a brand appearing in the script
Perhaps research that looks inside our marketing texts themselves act as or scene of a TV show (or computer game,
heads for marketing’s effects only finds ideological conduits in the field (Hackley, novel or movie) has been strategically
half the answer. 2003). I have also looked critically at the placed for commercial ends. Indeed,
Perhaps it is work from outside the way ad agencies use qualitative research cognitive research has suggested that
mainstream, deploying psychology in (Hackley, 2002). Work in this vein suggests people don’t really notice placements.
pursuit of a more critical agenda in that the influence of marketing lies not Brand recall and ‘intention to purchase’
marketing and consumer research, which only in its ability to draw on massive scores after exposure tend to be very weak.
should complete the picture. For example, resources to control consumers with But viewers feel that brands add realism
in the 1980s a small but influential body of behavioural science. Its also has a more and relevance and marketers are very keen
work began to challenge the dominant subtle role as an ideological apparatus, to exploit this direct route into consumer
economic model of the ‘rational’ consumer normalising expressive consumption and experience (Hackley & Tiwsakul, 2006).
by adapting experiential, existential and mobilised in the language and discourse of So what has our research approach
humanistic psychology to explore management education and marketing revealed about how people engage with
consumer fantasies, hedonism and practice. In fact, I would suggest that product placement? It transpires that young
emotionality (Hirschman, 1986; consumers draw on their knowledge of
Hirschman & Holbrook, 1982; TV product placements as a resource in
Holbrook & Hirschman, 1982). self-positioning discourses (Tiwsakul &
Since then, other work has built Hackley, in press) in much the same
on this ‘interpretive turn’ in way as they use conventional
marketing and consumer advertising (O’Donohoe, 1997; Ritson
research (Holbrook & & Elliott, 1999). In other words, young
O’Shaughnessy, 1988) consumers draw on advertising for cues
exploring, for example, about displaying and affirming their
consumer irrationality (Elliott, senses of identity. For example, Ritson
1997) and the ways in which and Elliott (1999) conducted an
brands act as symbolic ethnographic study in British schools
resources for the production of which revealed how important
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