The special issue of Marketing Theory (2013) on Consumer Culture Theory (CCT) updates and restates the main aims and controversies in CCT as well as offering a number of novel interpretations on the history and possible future direction of the movement. While the anchor paper from Thompson et al. (2013) is notable for the invocation of Bakhtin's concept of Heteroglossia, its main significance is as a reply to on-going critiques of the CCT project. In this commentary article we highlight the common tendency among critics to emphasise the paradigmatic and institutional basis for CCT as residing in the context of academic discourse.These accounts utilise what Coskuner-Balli (2013) discusses as the mobilization of cultural myths. One consequence of this process of retelling the CCT creation narrative is that it diverts and obscures other ideological readings of CCT. We highlight what we understand as the underlying neoliberal sentiment at the centre of the CCT project. A neoliberal perspective repositions some of the main criticisms of CCT, especially those regarding the overemphasis on consumer subjectivities.

PurposeConspicuous consumption refers to the competitive and extravagant consumption practices and leisure activities that aim to indicate membership to a superior social class. Studies examining the symbolic role of luxury brands and status symbols, and the importance of interpersonal relations and upward social mobility via consumption choices, have been widely discussed in the marketing and consumer behaviour literature. There is, however, limited research on how the all‐encompassing concept of “conspicuous consumption” has evolved since the introduction of the term by Thorstein Veblen in 1899 in The Theory of the Leisure Class. This paper seeks to review some of the issues.Design/methodology/approachUsing a chronological periodization the paper examines and discusses the impact of wider institutional and socio‐economic forces on the evolution of conspicuous consumption phenomena. The paper adopts a historical framework related to economics and marketing.FindingsThe paper shows how the concept of “conspicuous consumption” has been reinvented with different terminology during the twentieth century by marketing and consumer behaviour theorists.Originality/valueThe paper discusses and examines the socio‐economic factors behind the changing consumption patterns of “conspicuous consumers” throughout the twentieth century. It is valuable for marketing academics, students and marketing practitioners interested in the evolution of status symbols.

Considering that marketing research has paid limited attention to water markets and water consumption, we examine the interrelationships between the ongoing crisis in water resources management and macromarketing theory and practice. Contrary to the dominant ideology for unlimited growth and increased global water markets, we discuss some of the consequences of commercial water trading indicating that the area of water marketing can be a useful and fertile context in which to further emphasise the importance of the macromarketing agenda. Employing the lens of macromarketing, we approach and examine the economic, technological and political dimensions emerging from the commodification and marketization of water resources. We conclude that the consideration of a water marketing system can have a positive effect on economic and social development by elaborating on the implementation of public policies for the

PurposeThis study aims to provide a historical understanding of conspicuous consumption phenomena in the context of the United Kingdom, between 1945 and 2000. It considers how status-driven consumption has been shaped by economic, technological and cultural factors. Design/methodology/approachAdopting a periodization scheme, concerning two time structures between 1945 and 2000, this paper is based on research stemming from a wide range of data such as academic studies, research articles, narrative history books, past advertisements, novels and biographies. Rich interdisciplinary data from the realms of political economy, sociology, cultural geography and consumption studies have been synthesized so as to provide a marketing-oriented historical outlook on conspicuous consumption phenomena. FindingsStatus-driven consumption in the United Kingdom has been heavily influenced by economic policies, cultural changes and public perceptions towards wealth during the second half of the twentieth century. Post-war rationing, youth-driven fashions, free-market economics and technological advances have played a crucial role in forming consumers' tastes and engagement with ostentatious economic display. Originality/valueAlthough the vast majority of marketing studies have approached luxury consumption through a psychological angle, this examination identifies the capacity of historical research to uncover and highlight the interrelationships between socio-economic factors and status-motivated consumption.

Limited research exists around the interrelationships between protest camps and marketing practices. In this article, we focus on the 2014 Hong Kong protest camps as a context where artistic work was innovatively developed and imaginatively promoted to draw global attention. Collecting and analysing empirical data from the Umbrella Movement, our findings explore the interrelationships between arts marketing technologies and the creativity and artistic expression of the protest camps so as to inform, update and rethink arts marketing theory itself. We discuss how protesters used public space to employ inventive methods of audience engagement, participation and co-creation of artwork, together with media art projects which aimed not only to promote their collective aims but also to educate and inform citizens. While some studies have already examined the function of arts marketing beyond traditional and established artistic institutions, our findings offer novel insights into the promotional techniques of protest art within the occupied space of a social movement. Finally, we suggest avenues for future research around the artwork of social movements that could highlight creative and political aspects of (arts) marketing theory.

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The expansion and fragmentation of marketing theory has led to the introduction of a plethora of concepts, definitions and theoretical constructs over the last few decades. Subsequently, marketing scholars have been developing sophisticated concept analysis tools to alleviate the field’s terminological confusion and facilitate the process of theory development. Drawing inspiration from Tähtinen and Havila’s recent contribution in the area of marketing concept analysis, this think piece aims to critically explore the methodological and philosophical assumptions of systematic concept review methods, seeking to broaden the discussion around the politics and context of marketing theory development. I suggest that apart from the meticulous examination of the conceptual marketing language, marketing theorists can elaborate on how social processes, ideological viewpoints and institutional forces shape the development of marketing concepts. Finally, I provide recommendations on how the theoretical development of marketing language can embrace a fresh awareness towards cultural contexts, consumers and marketing practices that remain under-explored or marginalized in the literature.

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