Market Resistance and Valentine's Day Events

Abstract

The marketing system influences holiday exchange traditions; however, there are times when consumers resist this influence. Here, we expand resistance theory in the areas of ambivalence, reactance, and directive non-compliance via a study of consumers’ traditions and counter-traditions in the context of a commercially constructed holiday (i.e., Valentine’s Day). We develop theories of “market resistance” — an opposition to traditions in a marketplace, with the purpose of creating new behaviors. Using multiple methods spanning six years, we illustrate themes that contribute to market resistance. Themes include: escalating expectations, exclusion, materialism and terminal gift syndrome, obligations, role exhaustion, and a low need of specified holiday exchange traditions.

Keywords: Event Marketing, Ritual, Consumer Behavior, Emotions, Love

JEL Classification: M31