ABSTRACT

Many advertising and marketing communication creative executions imply that the brand can act as a doorway into a new identity, and hence, a new and more satisfying life, but this type of appeal has not hitherto been adequately observed or theorised. In order to address this gap this paper draws on anthropological theory to establish a new category of advertising and brand marketing appeal, the liminoid appeal. Liminoid experiences are those in which constraints on personal and social identity are temporarily suspended and identity is opened up to transformational possibilities. Unlike the more widely noted liminal experiences, liminoid experiences are not dependent on ritual process and can be indulged in voluntarily, repeatedly, and for fun. The paper integrates a theoretical review with a selection of case exemplars to illustrate the novelty, salience and contribution of the liminoid appeal. We add the cautionary note that, while the liminoid appeal resonates powerfully with consumers because of its ostensibly liberatory and self-actualising potential, on a social level the proliferation of such appeals could contribute to rising social disharmony and psychological distress. The paper concludes with implications for practice, research and policy.

摘要

许多广告和营销传播创意的执行者暗指该品牌可以充当新身份的门户，从而提供新的，更令人满意的生活，但是迄今为止，这种吸引力尚未得到充分的观察或理论化。为了解决这一差距，本文借鉴人类学理论来建立广告和品牌营销吸引力的新类别，即类人动物的吸引力。类人体验是指暂时中止对个人和社会身份的限制，并开放身份以进行变革的可能性。与更广为人知的临场体验不同，类股体验并不依赖于仪式过程，而是可以自发地，反复地和有趣地沉迷。本文将理论综述与一系列案例范例进行了整合，以说明其新颖性，突状突触的显着性和贡献。我们增加了警告性注意事项，尽管类似的呼吁因其表面上的解放和自我实现的潜力而在消费者中引起了强烈共鸣，但在社会层面上，此类呼吁的泛滥可能会加剧社会不和谐和心理困扰。本文的结论是对实践，研究和政策的启示。