The Stage of Images

With reflection being absent in the pragmatic world of consumerism, the roles of marketing and marketing communications are strengthening. Marketing communications have already been studied largely by quantitative research approaches as well as qualitative research approaches based on focus groups and interviews. The present monograph is based on the findings that are the result of a different methodological approach. Ethnography is used to obtain extensive, in-depth descriptions of the phenomenon given. Focusing on the features of marketing communications processes, the ethnographic study was performed in two different organisations. Discourse analysis was used to interpret data, as well as the philosopher Zizek's work which relates to Lacan's ‘objet petit a.’ The purpose of the monograph is not to give answers, guidelines, recommendations and ‘recipes’ for successful and effective marketing communications practice. It considers the marketing communications phenomena from a different angle compared to traditional marketing communications literature. The in-depth discourse allows critical discussion on the pitfalls of everyday marketing communications practice, paying attention to the unconscious processes and paradoxical situations, and opening up questions about new and different marketing communications dimensions.