Consumer Culture Theory
In a nutshell, Consumer Culture theory (CCT) consists of the transference of postmodern "identity politics" onto product marketing. A manner of taking advantage of personal identity in order to create niche markets, CCT has no autonomy as a discipline; it merely takes a much older postmodern approach to identity and makes an economic argument out of it. CCT is thus an economic extrapolation from identity politics.
History
Postmodernism centers on the concept of identity. The postmodern mind refuses to believe in the existence of any absolute truth-that is, truth apart from specific communities and their traditions. Postmodernism is both a conservative and radical approach, as it stresses communal tradition and coherence as the only sources of truth, while holding that any transcendent idea of truth is based on delusion. Throughout the 20th century, this idea became the main focus of postmodernism.
Features
CCT takes the postmodern insight and applies it to marketing products. It stresses the constraints of consumers in the marketplace and defines these constraints as conformism. Different niche markets-African Americans, Irish, Catholics, etc., are constrained by their cultural parameters in their consuming behavior. In other words, pluralist societies consist not of one single market but rather many niche markets that serve specific cultural groups.
Function
CCT redefines the idea of the consumer. The concept of "citizen" no longer exists, since all identity has become cultural rather than state based. Equally, no abstract "consumer" exists either; instead, cultural groups buy and sell as members of the group. From the point of view of marketing economics, the main issue centers on the creation and marketing of products that serve the specific group rather than the abstract "consumer," which does not exist.
Significance
Primarily, CCT is about diversity, difference and the centrality of identity politics. It also stresses authenticity in consumption patters, since consumption, according to this model, is based on real cultural parameters rather than mere whim or desire. CCT attacks the idea of the individualist consumer and replaces it with that of a communal consumer.
Considerations
As a theory, CCT acts as a footnote to general identity politics, or, putting it differently, a minor extrapolation from identity politics. As economics, CCT divides the consuming "public" into more or less exclusive groups that think and act differently, using "cultural rationality," rather than "economic rationality" as a basis for consumer behavior. Advertising, speaking generally, should aim for these groups, rather than the imaginary "public."
