The Resonance of Past-themed Consumption and Marketing

Abstract

In this thesis, I explore and conceptualise how resonance can be market-mediated. To do this, I unravel the theoretical context of past-themed consumption and marketing. My exploration is based on five standalone papers that all investigate past-themed consumption and marketing. Two of these papers are empirical and employ the context of the Danish vintage cycling community. Three papers are conceptual. The findings drawn from all these papers reveal how market-mediated resonance is created through play. Specifically, I identify four types of play: communal play, ideological play, material play, and temporal play. These serve as gateways for consumers to experience resonance. The contribution of this thesis is threefold. First, it introduces resonance theory to consumption and marketing theory by identifying play as the gateway between consumption and resonance. Second, it refines resonance theory by offering a more nuanced understanding of how resonance can be market-mediated. Third, it contributes by showing that consumers turn to the past during societal turmoil because the past is a resource for experiencing resonance.