Ilich, K. L. and Hardey, M. (2020) '‘It’s all about the packaging’ : investigation of the motivations, intentions, and marketing implications of sharing photographs of secondary packaging on Instagram.', Information, communication and society., 23 (1). pp. 1-19.
Abstract
The phenomenon of ‘unboxing’ purchases has confidently and prolifically emerged into popular culture, with consumer-generated images of the branded and stylised shopping bags, boxes, and parcels from new acquisitions now ubiquitous in the social media world. Bringing this relatively unexplored phenomenon from popular culture into the academic literature, this netnographic investigation coupled with in-depth semi-structured interviews aims to understand the motivations, intentions, and marketing implications of such image sharing. Four distinct but interwoven uses and gratifications emerged, driven by identity presentation, documentation, socialisation, and aesthetics. Actions appeared to be rooted in hedonic and symbolic play for both the self and others, but also had significant ability to actively and incidentally influence brand communities, brand perceptions, and consumption intentions. Findings confirmed and extended current uses and gratifications theories surrounding both conspicuous brand association and Instagram involvement and suggested the multi-directional impact of secondary image sharing for individuals, peers, and brands.
Item Type: | Article |
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Keywords: | Secondary packaging, Carrier bags, Instagram, Motivation, Identity |
Full text: | (AM) Accepted Manuscript Download PDF (399Kb) |
Status: | Peer-reviewed |
Publisher Web site: | https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2018.1478983 |
Publisher statement: | This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Information, Communication & Society on 05 Jun 2018, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/1369118X.2018.1478983 |
Date accepted: | 14 May 2018 |
Date deposited: | 18 May 2018 |
Date of first online publication: | 05 June 2018 |
Date first made open access: | 05 June 2019 |
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