Abstract
In relatively affluent societies, consumer activity has moved beyond basic survival-orientation. These consumers seek the fulfillment of more abstract, higher-order needs through the meaning ascribed to the activity (Burns 1989). Levy suggested that “people buy products not only for what they can do, but also for what they mean” (1959, p. 118). The ascription of meaning to such domains as consumer activity falls within the realm of semiotics. Unfortunately, the inconsistency of the meaning ascribed to products and activities across individuals and over time, and the confusion over the appropriate research paradigm(s) for understanding semiotics, have hampered research efforts in this area (Levy 1971). Also, the abstract nature of the subject has hindered semiotic research (Mick 1986). By examining the objectivist and subjectivist approaches to the study of semiotics, this paper addresses the issue of determining the appropriate paradigm(s) for researching semiotics in marketing.
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© 2015 The Academy of Marketing Science
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Burns, D.J., Warren, H.B., Smith, P.W. (2015). Research on Marketing Semiotics: In Search of the Appropriate Research Methodology. In: Levy, M., Grewal, D. (eds) Proceedings of the 1993 Academy of Marketing Science (AMS) Annual Conference. Developments in Marketing Science: Proceedings of the Academy of Marketing Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-13159-7_74
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-13159-7_74
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Online ISBN: 978-3-319-13159-7
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