Branding and modification of consumer behavior during the cardinal transformation of economy

Abstract

By applying the thesis about branding as a modificer of consumer behavior under the impact of cardinal changes of the world economy this paper extends our understanding of branding dualism that could lead to sustainable consumption as well as to unsustainable one. The purpose of this paper is to provide knowledge about impacts of two megatrends of the modern world economy on consumer behavior while the world/domestic product market is transforming into the simulacra market, and to contribute to the current discourse about marketing ideology (in other terms — consumerism), irrational consumption, and overconsumption that are stemmed from the profit-oriented marketing wherein the branding plays a role of the powerful booster of unsustainable consumption. Finally, an appeal to academia has been made to search for effective ways to apply branding tools for achieving the goal of sustainable consumption and production. Thematic content analysis explores multiple (mainly international) sources focused on topics of sustainable development, digital transformation, semiotics and emerging simulacrum market, dualism of branding, marketing ideology and consumerism related to modifying the model of consumer behavior. These sources were analyzed through a sustainable development goals lens. Th e research has identified two directions of the branding impact on consumer behavior due to the phenomenon of branding dualism — towards the sustainable consumption or vice versa depending on accepting or rejecting the sustainability branding strategy, respectively. By applying semantic concepts, the simulacra market paradigm diff erent from the real market paradigm is used to assess contemporary changes in consumer behavior. This unconventional investigation into the branding dualism, including the impact of the above-mentioned trends on it, extends the understanding of the marketing up to the sphere of consumer society ideology and highlights the importance of sustainability branding for achieving the goal of sustainable consumption. By integrating semantics concepts into the marketing discipline, this paper explores the dual role of branding in modifying the model of consumption under the impact of world economy megatrends and provides suggestions for business and academia about how best to overcome perceived barriers to sustainable consumption. These insights have relevance to dissimilarities between social consequences of branding in the frame of micromarketing and macromarketing or macrosocial marketing and could help alter consumption practices to make them more sustainable.