School of Business
Applying the theory of consumption values to representational and nonrepresentational images in marketing: propositions and research directions
Document Type
Article
Abstract
Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to (1) characterize representational and nonrepresentational images; (2) review the literature on representational and nonrepresentational images; (3) introduce the theory of consumption values (TCV) framework vis-à-vis representational and nonrepresentational images; and (4) generate propositions and questions for future research based on that intersection. Design/methodology/approach: Conceptual/literature review with propositions and future research directions. Findings: The authors offer nine propositions and several associated example research questions to explore and document the important ways in which representational and nonrepresentational images can affect the five dimensions of value as outlined in the TCV. Research limitations/implications: It is the hope that this work serves as a theoretical starting point – surely, there are other theories and frameworks beyond the TCV that may share ties with types of images, which scholars should be encouraged to explore, but if the authors had attempted to document every possible theory, the result would be a limitless document. As such, the authors have honed the efforts on a broad-reaching framework, the TCV, in the attempt to balance theoretical insights with parsimony. Through exploration of these and other avenues, the authors hope that scholars and practitioners alike will benefit from elucidation of theories and effects around representational and nonrepresentational images. Practical implications: Several practical implications flow from the dimensions and propositions within this work. Originality/value: Representational and nonrepresentational images have featured prominently throughout visual content and communications for centuries, yet the current body of literature remains scant and underdeveloped in its relationship to marketing. The present work addresses this gap by using the TCV as an overarching framework to generate propositions and future research questions.
Publication Title
European Journal Of Marketing
Publication Date
2024
ISSN
0309-0566
DOI
10.1108/EJM-09-2022-0653
Keywords
conceptual, images, nonrepresentational, representational, theory of consumption values
Repository Citation
Ketron, Seth; Nalatelich, Kelly; and Yazdanparast, Atefeh, "Applying the theory of consumption values to representational and nonrepresentational images in marketing: propositions and research directions" (2024). School of Business. 216.
https://commons.clarku.edu/faculty_school_of_management/216
