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Cited by 1,142Consumer Behavior in Brand Consumption and IdentificationConsumer Behavior and Market DynamicsDigital Marketing and Social Media

Interpreting Consumers: A Hermeneutical Framework for Deriving Marketing Insights from the Texts of Consumers’ Consumption Stories

Thompson, Craig J.·1997·Journal of Marketing Research
DOI 10.1177/002224379703400403
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Abstract

The author describes and illustrates a hermeneutically grounded interpretive framework for deriving marketing-relevant insights from the “texts” of consumer stories and gives an overview of the philosophical and theoretical foundations of this approach. Next, the author describes a hermeneutic framework for interpreting the stories consumers tell about their experiences of products, services, brand images, and shopping. An illustrative analysis demonstrates how this framework can be applied to generate three levels of interpretation: (1) discerning the key patterns of meanings expressed by a given consumer in the texts of his or her consumption stories, (2) identifying key patterns of meaning that emerge across the consumption stories expressed by different consumers, and (3) deriving broader conceptual and managerial implications from the analysis of consumer narratives. This hermeneutic approach is compared and contrasted to the means—end chains laddering framework, the “voice of the customer” approach to identifying consumer needs, and market-oriented ethnography. The author concludes with a discussion that highlights the types of marketing insights that can result from a hermeneutic interpretation of consumers’ consumption stories and then addresses the roles creativity and expertise play in this research orientation.

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Crossref · 10.1177/002224379703400403

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Authors
Thompson, C. J.
Affiliations
University of Wisconsin–Madison (US)
Corresponding author
Thompson, Craig J.
ORCID
Thompson, Craig J.
Venue
Journal of Marketing Research
Publisher
SAGE Publications
Published
1997-11
Volume
34
Issue
4
Pages
438-455
ISSN
  • 0022-2437 (ISSN-L)
  • 1547-7193
DOI
10.1177/002224379703400403
OpenAlex
W2323074043
Cited by
1,142
References
104
Citations by year
2026: 21 · 2025: 38 · 2024: 35 · 2023: 48 · 2022: 38 · 2021: 45 · 2020: 58 · 2019: 52 · 2018: 73 · 2017: 57 · 2016: 58 · 2015: 72 · 2014: 66 · 2013: 67 · 2012: 51
FWCI
14.09
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
journals.sagepub.com/page/policies/text-and-data-mining-license (tdm)
Locations
Journal of Marketing Research (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Marketing › Consumer Behavior in Brand Consumption and Identification
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Consumer Behavior and Market Dynamics
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Digital Marketing and Social Media
Keywords
hermeneutics, consumer narratives, customer experience, marketing insights, voice of the customer, brand image, creative research

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