Fair Trade's Dual Aspect: The Communications Challenge of Fair Trade Marketing

Effective communication strategies are fundamental to achieving sustainable consumption, yet there is a gap in the literature with respect to their design. Moreover, there is considerable debate with respect to the starting point for such strategies: whether the shift to sustainable consumption can...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of macromarketing 2009-06, Vol.29 (2), p.160-171
Main Author: Golding, Kirsty Michelle
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Chocolate
Consumer behavior
Consumption
Fair trade
Market strategy
Studies
Sustainable consumption
Sustainable development
Citations: Items that this one cites
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Effective communication strategies are fundamental to achieving sustainable consumption, yet there is a gap in the literature with respect to their design. Moreover, there is considerable debate with respect to the starting point for such strategies: whether the shift to sustainable consumption can be achieved within the dominant social paradigm or whether a new paradigm is required. Fair trade (FT) marketing presents a valuable case study of these issues in practice. Case analysis of a campaign by the Divine Chocolate Company suggests the importance of transcending the polarization of the radical and pragmatic visions of FT and also the within or without dichotomy of macromarketing in terms of moving consumers along a pathway to sustainable development. The campaign's synergism further has significant implications for the design of communication strategies to effect sustainable consumption. These are presented in terms of two working propositions for exploration in alternative contexts.
ISSN:0276-1467
1552-6534
DOI:10.1177/0276146708327632