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Giving Creative Credit Where Credit Is Due: A Socio-cultural Approach to Consumer Creativity

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The Palgrave Handbook of Creativity and Culture Research

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Abstract

Much of the research on creativity in marketing has focused on companies and overlooked creative consumers. This chapter discusses the unlimited range of creative consumer practices and argues that creativity is part and parcel of consumption: it goes beyond ‘obvious’ creative practices, such as assembling an IKEA chair. In our introduction to consumer creativity, we echo research showing that creativity comes from both small and large acts of consumption: consumers go about their lives completing a range of everyday and broader jobs and, at every point, fashion novel and relevant solutions to do so. We then discuss socio-cultural aspects of consumption and show how these foster greater creativity and challenge canonical consumption patterns. Finally, we argue that a socio-cultural framework of creativity is necessary to account for the full breadth and power of consumer creativity. Firms that encourage this power can stay ahead of the market by delivering greater relevance and value through their offerings.

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Taillard, M., Voyer, B. (2016). Giving Creative Credit Where Credit Is Due: A Socio-cultural Approach to Consumer Creativity. In: Glăveanu, V. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Creativity and Culture Research. Palgrave Studies in Creativity and Culture. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-46344-9_24

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