ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the importance of broadening the scope of consumer scholarship to include cultural rituals, and illuminates the impact of ritualized consumption on a sociocultural level. It focuses on recent cultural rituals staged by one institution – the British monarchy. The chapter explicates how cultural rituals can illuminate the understanding of several key topics, and delves into the relevance of illuminating a key strategic marketing element – the brand. It seeks to coax scholarship on rituals from within well-mined settings, and into more public, spectacle-laden arenas. Many cultural rituals feature myriad sub-rituals that emanate from focal artifacts or events. Engaging in shared celebration and commemoration means cultural rituals offer unique opportunities for scholars to explore how consumption-laden occasions spur the experience of emotions. The chapter explores how some macro-elements can shape – and disrupt – consumers' and practitioners' perspectives about cultural rituals.
