Journal of Marketing Management

Reimagining Marketing in a World of Limits: Anti-consumption, Responsible Consumption, and Sufficiency

Two decades ago, scholars in the Journal of Marketing Management called for "more reflection and critique on the virtue of marketing" (Cherrier & Murray, 2004, p. 509). This appeal is more pertinent than ever today (Tadajewski, 2023), now intertwined with an urgent need to reconsider marketing’s role in driving radical economic change (Arnould, 2024). The critical challenges of environmental degradation, economic inequality, and social fragmentation necessitate a deeper examination of how marketing shapes societal norms, cultural practices, and economic systems. Central to this examination is the empirical exploration of anti-consumption, responsible consumption, and sufficiency, along with conceptual innovation and managerial implications. These areas prompt a re-evaluation of marketing’s responsibilities and its potential to contribute to a more sustainable and equitable future.

Anti-consumption encompasses actions of rejection, restriction, and reclamation, expressed through the intentional and purposeful avoidance of certain brands, products, services, or consumption as a whole (Chatzidakis & Lee, 2013; Cherrier et al., 2011). Unlike consumption resistance or culture jamming, anti-consumption does not wholly oppose marketing’s traditional growth-oriented models (Lee et al., 2011; Makri et al., 2020). The motivations behind anti-consumption vary, including the desire to make a positive impact, concerns over animal cruelty or environmental degradation, or the belief that corporations are exploitative or oppressive (Makri et al., 2020). Of these, only the last motivation—viewing corporations as malevolent or coercive entities—directly challenges and undermines the traditional marketing’s role in shaping and nurturing a culture of consumerism (Tadajewski et al., 2014).

Responsible consumption represents a form of self-governance and accountability that emphasizes freedom of choice and consumers making ethical, sustainable, and socially thoughtful purchasing and use of products and services (Cherrier & Ture, 2023; Ritch & Brownlie, 2016). Focusing on “consuming better”, responsible consumption and marketing tend to work hand in hand by aligning business strategies with ethical and sustainable practices that foster profitability and market growth. This symbiotic relationship emphasizes the role of marketing in responsibilizing consumers to solve large societal and environmental problems (Cherrier & Ture, 2023).

Sufficiency involves practices and mindsets that intentionally aim to reduce consumption levels (Gorge et al., 2015). This concept focusing on “consuming less” has been examined as part of an identity-driven shift toward voluntary simplicity (Cherrier & Murray, 2007), and more recently as a strategy to prepare for resource scarcity (Campbell et al., 2019). Sufficiency fundamentally challenges the conventional, growth-centric models of marketing and often remains on the periphery, making its practical implementation complex and difficult (Cherrier et al., 2012; Gorge et al., 2015).

While anti-consumption, responsible consumption, and sufficiency each present distinct perspectives, they all intersect with marketing in meaningful ways. Responsible consumption aligns with marketing’s traditional growth-centric models to foster sustainable practices, embracing consumer accountability and freedom of choice. Anti-consumption critiques the excesses of consumerism, pushing marketing to reassess its values and strategies to address concerns about social and environmental impact. Sufficiency, however, represents a more radical departure, urging marketing to redefine value creation by focusing on long-term well-being over perpetual growth. Together, these frameworks push marketing to transcend its conventional boundaries, offering transformative pathways for aligning business practices with broader societal and ecological goals.

This special issue aims to foster a critical and practical dialogue on the role of marketing in confronting global challenges through the lenses of anti-consumption, sufficiency, and responsible consumption. Leveraging JMM’s dedication to paradigmatic pluralism and theoretical reflexivity, this initiative seeks to challenge conventional marketing practices while inspiring new insights and transformative practices within marketing and its societal impact. We invite conceptual, methodological, and empirical (qualitative or quantitative) research, as well as interdisciplinary perspectives, that critically engage with these themes. Contributions that explore the implications for marketing theory, practice, and policy are particularly encouraged, helping to shape a more equitable and sustainable future for marketing. Topics include but are not limited to:

• Expanding definitions and theoretical frameworks for anti-consumption, sufficiency, and responsible consumption to grasp their complexities, especially regarding their intersections.
• Critical analyses of marketing’s role in perpetuating or challenging anti-consumption, responsible consumption, and sufficiency.
• The role of identity, ethics, political ideology, and activism in adopting anti-consumption, responsible consumption, and sufficiency, including generational, cultural, and geographic variations.
• Business models and marketing practices that align with anti-consumption, responsible consumption, and sufficiency.
• Case studies of firms engaging with anti-consumption, responsible consumption, and/or sufficiency principles while balancing profit and sustainability.
• Ethical dilemmas in promoting anti-consumption, responsible consumption, or sufficiency.
• The role of AI, digital platforms, and big data in fostering or hindering anti-consumption, responsible consumption, and sufficiency.
• Contributions of anti-consumption, responsible consumption, and sufficiency to societal debates on the limits of consumption and planetary boundaries.

In seeking contributions, we offer two pathways for submission:

1.    Conventional manuscript: < 10K words (excluding references, tables, & figures).
2.    Film with commentary: < 10 minutes + 3-5K words (excluding references, tables, & figures).

While conventional manuscripts are welcomed (pathway 1), pathway 2 encourages authors to critically embrace videography submissions.

The full Call for Papers including references and a guide to making videography submissions can be found at the JMM blog site: https://www.jmmnews.com/reimagining-marketing/