Today's society, defined as the consumer society, marks an intertwining of many different cultures influencing the entire population, mostly the young. Cultural studies explore all aspects of culture, including music, and their ultimate goal is to understand the changes occurring within the framework of contemporary culture. Music has its own…

This paper explores a pedagogical approach to marketing research -- an oft required and not desired course for marketing undergraduate students. Marketing research can become a mundane and not-exciting topic of marketing compared to it's siblings of consumer behavior, social media, advertising, and the like. However, incorporating the approach of…

With artificial intelligence (AI) technologies making significant evolutions over the past few years, there is a growing need for advertising students to get familiarized with the different types of AI technologies and explore and experiment with ways to adapt to such changes. This article illustrates the development and implementation of the…

One of the key challenges marketers face today is to build awareness against the tendency of overconfidence that can hamper gaining and leveraging customer insights. This article presents a pedagogical innovation that allows students to become more aware and reflective of themselves as consumers while exposing them to diversity of consumer…

Greenwashing is defined as "the act of misleading consumers regarding the environmental practices of a company or the environmental benefits of a product or service" (UL Environment, 2013). As "green living" has become a marketable concept, and desirable consumers seek to enact a green identity, more companies are utilizing…

Colleges, universities, and independent schools use branding to attract students, keep alumni close, and unite faculty behind the institution. That last bit is key because one can't box and ship global perspectives, personal attention, flexible programs, campus traditions, innovative research, and the limitless other qualities that make…

This paper describes a course development project designed to address the obligation of consumer goods companies to engage in socially responsible advertising and promotion. Course development was informed by stakeholder theory. Videotaped interviews with 46 stakeholder representatives were integrated into the course, providing students with an…

Most universities face similar challenges, so it is with good reason that universities often look to peer institutions to benchmark their branding efforts. Whether across town or around the world, other institutions' brands can inspire ideas. But why not go further? What could universities learn about branding from companies and brands such as…

On November 28, 2008, Jdimytai Damour, age 34, was killed by a stampeding mob of customers running to get the day-after-Thanksgiving bargains. Even after customers in the store were informed that four people were injured and one man died, most chose to keep shopping. Looking at the root causes of this unfortunate death, it seems clear that…

Many students are struggling with more depression and anxiety than ever before. These are characteristic dangers of the "consumer class"--1.7 billion people worldwide who are "characterized by diets of highly processed food, desire for bigger houses, more and bigger cars, higher levels of debt, and lifestyles devoted to the accumulation of…

This article considers the role of English as the global language within the industrial-consumer paradigm. In the 21st century, the English language plays a different function in the global economy than it did during the 19th century when it was used as an instrument of cultural imperialism. Today, English serves as a vehicle for participation in…

Jacques Ellul's work on propaganda provides the basis for this analysis of life in technology. Advertising and the mass media rely on temptation and seduction and create a constant flow of propaganda, all of which serve the technological system. Propaganda aims to condition and regulate us so that we participate in and adapt ourselves to a desired…

In spite of the enormous power that women wield in the marketplace, the role of women in advertisements is not commensurate with women as a powerful group. Studies demonstrate a gender bias in advertising, such that, despite their buying power, women are portrayed in stereotypical roles. This manuscript discusses ways that women are depicted in…

This paper considers the place of education within our "consumers' society", beginning with Hannah Arendt's account of the rise of consumerism to a position of political dominance and the resulting eclipse of public life. Connections are then made between Arendt's account of this rise and Jean Baudrillard's account of the postmodern proliferation…

Describes "ZAPME!," a company operating an Internet site geared toward educators, students, and parents offering computer hardware to schools in exchange for student-targeted classroom web advertising. Examines the design and web content of the site, and visits the corporate web site. Finds a calculated attempts to influence pedagogy and the…