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Status of brands in children’s consumption: What letters to Santa posted on La Poste website tell us

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The purpose of the research is to identify some different consumption styles on the basis of a large collection of posts to Santa, written by some children and/or their families. One of our main interests focuses on the presence and weight of brands and licenses in their wish lists. We have had access to all the anonymous posts sent to Santa Claus on the French Post's website during the 2013 and 2014 Christmas holidays. We analyzed the nature of the wish lists as shown in the 43,000-post database, thanks to several textual data analysis techniques. Great heterogeneity was found among children’s and family’s postures regarding that specific ritual. The different types of emails reflect the meaning families associate to Christmas time but also, their different consumption styles or attitudes towards consumption: reasoned, educational, hedonistic or materialistic for example. When focusing on brands and licenses, we can also observe significant differences in the way families and children include them in their consumption decisions. Brands could have a very different weight in the Christmas wish lists and their natures reflect a number of various value transmission projects. The French market of Christmas children brands is rather stable and focuses on a few top leading global brands like Playmobil, Barbie or Lego. At least one of the ten leading brands is mentioned in half of the Christmas wish lists. The brands confirm they are very clearly gendered and associated to the children’s ages. Peak time for brand desire is alleged to be reached between the age of 7 and 9. To our knowledge, our research is the first to analyze such a huge amount of spontaneous data to capture children’s consumption styles and attitude towards brands. Thanks to our classification, a first typology of parental consumption styles has been identified.
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Received: 9 October 2017
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Accepted: 31 July 2018
DOI: 10.1002/mar.21153
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Status of brands in childrens consumption: What letters to
Santa posted on La Poste website tell us
Stéphane Ganassali
IAE, IREGE, Université de Savoie Mont Blanc,
Annecy, France
Correspondence
IAE, IREGE, Université de Savoie Mont
Blanc, 4 chemin de Bellevue, BP 80439,
AnnecyleVieux, 74944 Annecy, France.
Email: sgana@univ-smb.fr
Abstract
The purpose of the research is to identify different consumption styles based on a
large collection of letters to Santa written by some children and/or their families and
submitted to the French Post website (La Poste). One of our main interests focuses on
the presence and weight of brands and licenses in childrens wish lists. We have had
access to all the anonymous posts sent to Santa Claus through La Postes website
during the 2013 and 2014 Christmas holidays. We analyzed the nature of the wish
lists as shown in the 43,000post database using several textual data analysis
techniques. Extensive heterogeneity was found among childrens and families
postures regarding that specific ritual. The different types of emails reflect the
meaning families associate with Christmas time but also their different consumption
styles or attitudes toward consumption: reasoned, educational, hedonistic, or
materialistic, for example. When focusing on brands and licenses, we can also
observe significant differences in the way families and children include them in their
consumption decisions. Brands could have a very different weight in Christmas wish
lists and their natures reflect different value transmission modes. The French market
for Christmas children brands is rather stable and focuses on a few top leading global
brands such as Playmobil,Barbie,orLego. At least one of the ten leading brands is
mentioned in half of evaluated Christmas wish lists. The analysis confirms that brands
are very clearly gendered and associated with the childrens ages. Peak time for brand
desire is alleged to be reached between the age of 7 and 9. To our knowledge, our
research is the first to analyze a large sample of spontaneous data to capture
childrens consumption styles and attitudes toward brands. Because of our
classification, a first typology of parental consumption styles has also been identified.
KEYWORDS
brands, childrens consumption, gifts, santa, textual data analysis
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INTRODUCTION
Many families feel Christmas is an experience centered on children
(DeChant, 2002; Herpin & Verger, 1996; Perrot, 2000). As a result,
such times are occasions for episodes of physical and symbolic
consumption where the letters to Santa takes center stage. For the
child, it is an activity that marks the beginning of celebrations,
blending belief and ritual (LéviStrauss, 1952), and explaining their
expectations (Figures 1, 2, and 3).
When writing to Santa, the child is often answerable based on their
good behavior; they express their wishes and endorse the prescribers
role to their own benefit. Since this practice most often involves an
adult, children learn how to obtain what they want, and they act in their
own way, as rational consumers. This epistolary tradition has become
Psychol Mark. 2019;36:514. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/jcp © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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... Even though Bettelheim (1976) outlines the importance of fairy tales and stories for the socialisation of children, children's Christmas gift requests have only been quantified in literature (Ganassali, 2019;O'Cass and Clarke, 2002;Otnes et al., 1994;Martínez-Pastor et al., 2013;Richardson and Simpson, 1982;Robertson and Rossiter, 1976). Along with their relationship to advertising (Buijzen and Valkenburg, 2000;Pine et al., 2007;Witkowski, 2020), overall studies on the meaning of Christmas have largely focussed on adults (Clarke, 2007;Hirschman and LaBarbera, 1989;Tynan and McKechnie, 2005). ...
... Stereotypical gender specific requests have also been found (Richardson and Simpson, 1982;Downs, 1983;Martínez-Pastor et al., 2013) as has a correlation between children's requests for Christmas and the advertising they watch (Buijzen and Valkenburg, 2000;Pine and Nash, 2002;Pine et al., 2007). Ganassali (2019) recent study showed, through a quantitative content analysis of French children's letters, that generally requests themselves are quite heterogenous. Four types of child consumer were represented within the letters: gourmets, educated, brand name droppers and sweet tooth, based on the brands and products named. ...
... 250 letters were obtained with parental, principal and school authority approval in a first larger data collection. Similar to other studies (Ganassali, 2019), letters written by parents (e.g. without syntax and spelling mistakes or with too developed hand writing or purely machine written letters) have been discarded. ...
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Purpose This paper seeks to explore the functions of Christmas mythemes for children’s consumption culture development. In addition, the purpose of this study is to provide an insight on the development of Central European Children into customers and how mythemes are associated with the wishing behaviour. Design/methodology/approach Levi-Strauss’ (1955) structural analysis was used to uncover the mythemes of the Christmas story for Austrian children. These mythemes then informed a thematic analysis of 283 Austrian children’s Christmas letters. Campbell’s (1970) functions of myths were used to reflect on the findings. Findings The Christmas mythemes uncovered were found to encourage materialism by linking self-enhancement (good acquirement) with self-transcendent (good behaviour) values. The role of myths to relieve the tension between the incongruent values of collective/other-oriented and materialistic values is expanded upon. Such sanctification of selfish good acquisition is aided by the mythemes related especially to the Christkind and baby Jesus. Instead, marketers should use Christmas mythemes which emphasise family and collective/other-centred values. Originality/value By first uncovering the “mythemes” related to Christmas, the authors contribute to the academic understanding of Christmas, going beyond origin or single myth understandings and acknowledging the multifaceted components of Christmas. The second contribution is in exploring mytheme’s representation in children’s Christmas letters and reflecting on their functions. This differs from previous literature because it looks at one of the main cultural vehicles for Christmas socialisation and its intersection with the mythemes that feed children’s consumption culture formation. Through the authors’ presentation of a conceptual framework that links mytheme functions with proximal processes using a socioecological viewpoint, the authors demonstrate the guidance of mythemes in children’s development. The third contribution is a reflection on the potential ethical implications for children’s formation of their consumer culture based on the functions of the mythemes. Furthermore, the authors add to the existing body of research by investigating a Central European context.
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... (Schreiner ym. 2018) Lapset eivät synny kuluttajiksi vaan kehittyvät sellaisiksi kognitiivisen kehityksen ja ympäristötekijöiden yhteisvaikutuksesta (Ganassali 2019). Länsimaissa lapset ovat brändien ympäröimiä ja kuluttamisen voidaan ajatella ilmaisevan yksilön mieltymyksiä verrattuna muihin. ...
... Tuotemerkeillä kerskailevilla suurin osa toiveista on tarkasti jotain tuotemerkkiä ja opettavaisten tavaroiden osuus on liki olematon. (Ganassali 2019) Aineisto ja menetelmät Tutkimuksen aineisto koostuu alkuopetuksen oppilaiden puolistrukturoiduista teemahaastatteluista. Menetelmäksi valittiin teemahaastattelu, koska haluttiin selvittää lasten käsityksiä mahdollisimman avoimesti, mutta kuitenkin auttaa heitä tarkastelemaan aihetta riittävän monipuolisesti (Hirsjärvi & Hurme 2008). Tutkimusaineisto kerättiin yhdestä koulusta, kahdelta eri alkuopetuksen luokalta, joiden opettajat osallistuivat opettajankoulutuksen kehittämiseen tähtäävään hankkeeseen. ...
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... Although men and women spend similar amounts on gifts for relatives and people in close social relationships, there is a big difference in what is spent on friends and distant social relationships between genders, as women spend significantly more. Ganassali (2019) concluded that children and young people live Christmas intensely. In the letters, they write to Santa Claus there are four types of messages: gourmet (reflect the desire to ask for a single gift, usually expensive); sweet tooth; toys; and branded sweets. ...
... Individuals who have a direct family member under the age of 16 are those who estimate spending more at Christmas time, which is in line with the study of Dyble, Van Leeuwen e Dunbar (2015), who consider that at Christmas, people buy gifts of greater value for close family members and individuals from their social relationships. This is expected, according to Ganassali (2019), because children and young people live Christmas intensely, which makes families with children and young people (under 16) spend more at this time of year. Thus, Hypothesis 7 is empirically supported. ...
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... Christmas has long since become a celebration not only of the family, but especially aimed at children, and this can be seen in the giving of toys and other gifts, the letters to Santa Claus and Baby Jesus, and the little shoes on the mantelpiece waiting for midnight (Cruz, 2013). During this festive season, where children experience Christmas intensely (Ganassali, 2019), they should be taught the importance of solidarity and giving, and compassion and love for others should be encouraged (Burroughs, 2019). As a form of solidarity, family businesses often reinvest a portion of their profits in the local community, supporting economic growth and contributing to the prosperity of the region (Casey et al., 2023). ...
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... Os indivíduos que possuem familiar direto com menos de 16 anos são os que estimam gastar mais na época de Natal, o que vai ao encontro do estudo de Dyble, Van Leeuwen e Dunbar (2015), que consideram que no Natal as pessoas compram presentes de maior valor para familiares próximos e indivíduos das suas relações sociais. Isso é o esperado, de acordo com Ganassali (2019), pois as crianças e os jovens vivem intensamente o Natal, o que faz com que as famílias com crianças e jovens (com menos de 16 anos) gastem mais nessa época do ano. Assim, a Hipótese 7 é suportada empiricamente. ...
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A presente investigação tem como objetivo analisar o consumo estimado pelos portugueses na época de Natal. O Natal transporta em si uma contradição, por ser considerado um feriado religioso mas também uma das ocasiões mais consumistas e lucrativas para o mundo cristão. Utilizou-se uma metodologia quantitativa baseada num questionário, onde os inquiridos, para além de responderem a um conjunto de questões de índole sociodemográfica, indicaram com quem passariam a festividade. Indicaram também o valor a gastar em presentes para oferecer e em bens de consumo na época de Natal. A amostra é constituída por 1.077 indivíduos portugueses, maiores de 18 anos. Os resultados demonstram que esses indivíduos estimam gastar mais em presentes para oferecer do que em bens de consumo. Verifica-se também que o consumo estimado para essa época do ano aumenta com a idade, com o número de elementos do agregado familiar, com o nível de escolaridade e com o rendimento mensal do agregado familiar. Os indivíduos que estimam gastar mais na época de Natal são: homens; os que têm religião; os que possuem familiar direto com menos de 16 anos; e os que são casados ou vivem em união de fato. O estudo ajuda a perceber as motivações do consumo na época natalina e a sua importância no desenvolvimento econômico. Espera-se que este estudo venha a contribuir para desvendar o espírito de Natal e expor o simbolismo presente nas variadas manifestações sociais e culturais da sociedade. Palavras-chave: Natal. Consumo. Materialismo. Afetividade familiar. Mercado de Natal. Artigo submetido em 29 de março de 2020 e aceito para publicação em 22 de setembro de 2020.
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