a tutorial by

Jennifer Krogmeier

Introduction 

Perhaps you have had to take a trip to a Hallmark store to shop for a gift.  Maybe the gift was for a friend, significant other, or a parent.  All of us have been in this type of situation at one time in our lives.  These situations are known as ritual situations.

What is a ritual situation?  A ritual situation--in the context of consumer behavior—is any situation that provides the consumer with an outline of appropriate behaviors and items of purchase.  It may also be defined as a set of symbolic gestures or buying habits that are often repeated and occur in a defined sequence (Assal, 328).

Consumption rituals are deeply rooted in societal norms (culture) and personal values of those norms.  They are also closely related to scripts.  A script is a set of behaviors that an individual will go through when put in a specific situation.  An example of this may be seen in fast food restaurants, where customers know that they need to go up to the counter to order their food and that a waiter will not come out a seat them.

Explanation of the topic

             A ritual is a collection of symbols and behaviors that occur in a specific sequence are usually frequently repeated.  When one looks for information on this topic, one usually ends up in the psychology section of consumer behavior books.  This is due to the psychological nature of ritual situations.  Zaltman says that “through rites and rituals…we honor…holidays, celebrate birthdays and wedding anniversaries, and participate in ceremonies (Zaltman, 195).”

            Rituals originate in two ways.  The traditional ritual is one that has been handed down for years though several generations.  These are most typically holiday or festive traditions.  Spontaneous rituals happen first by chance, but are soon repeated and crystallize into rituals because they are successful.  Both of these types of family rituals can involve consumption behaviors and scripts (Bossard, 60, 62).

            There are several different types of rituals.  Rook lists several in his article, which include media, patriotic, household, grooming, religious, gift giving, business, eating, rite of passage, holiday, romantic, athletic, and bedtime (Rook, 251).  Consumer marketers should be more in tune with these rituals, as many of them involve the exchange and consumption of goods and services.

            Also in his article, Rook gives four essential elements to the ritual experience.  These elements include

1. Ritual script

2. Ritual artifacts

3. Ritual performance roles (of the individuals involved)

4. A ritual audience (Rook, 253).

            How does a ritual buying situation differ from other buying situations? A ritual buying situation differs from other buying situations because the individual enters into the situation with a profound sense of what is appropriate for the occasion, which is defined by the ritual script.  Most ritual situations will follow a script.   Attending prom, graduation, and joining a special organization all involve predictable, patterned scripts (Assal, 329).  The script also acts as a guide concerning the usage of the ritual artifacts, which will be addressed later.  For example, when someone is looking for a card to go along with a gift, they have a specific idea of what the card should be like.  Cards with garish colors and off-color jokes would not be appropriate for condolences given to a grieving family member during a funeral.         

        Where a consumer goes to look for a gift also differs.  This may also be scripted.  Wedding gowns are usually sought after in fancy dress shops, and graduation items and gifts have specific outlets.  Many consumers look for “the perfect gift” when shopping for a loved one, specifically on special occasions, such as birthdays or anniversaries.  To find these “perfect gifts” customers tend to seek out high-quality stores with good reputations.  Hallmark stores have done well with this aspect of ritual buying.  The name is associated with quality and appropriate gift ideas.  In fact, Hallmark stores are full of gift ideas, ranging from spiritual gifts to gag gifts. 

            There are several situations for ritual consumption.  Another ritual buying situation is decorating for the holidays.  This type of buying is strongly influenced by culture rather than psychology and is also scripted.  It is part of the American culture to decorate one’s abode with lights and plastic Santa’s when the Christmas season is approaching.  This is a ritual situation because people don’t typically purchase Christmas lights or Halloween decorations unless they have a planned usage for these items.  Therefore, the average American will wander into the seasonal aisles of Wal-mart or K-mart and browse around, searching for something special to spice up their home in preparation for the upcoming festivities.

            Ritual consumption situations like these are characterized by the presence of ritual artifacts.  Ritual artifacts are usually in the form of products and are symbols of the associated celebration.  These products are consumed in the ritual situation or are simply accompanying the action of the situation. For example, caps and gowns are symbolic of graduation; and jack-o-lanterns, ghosts, and witches are symbolic of Halloween.

Ritual performance roles are roles taken on by individuals prior to and during the ritual situation.  In some rituals, the roles are very sharply defined, as in weddings or funerals.  In others, the roles are less defined, such as in certain holiday rituals.  A ritual audience is also part of the ritual situation.  Like the performance roles, these audiences may or may not be specifically scripted.  In some rituals it is easy to identify the audience, such a guest speaker or Presidential Inauguration.  In others, such as Columbus Day or Groundhog Day, the ritual audience is less focused (Rook, 253).  However, all of these described elements come together in some degree to construct the ritual situation.

Also under the heading of ritual situations are two other types of consumption: sacred and secular.  These types of consumption are strongly influenced by culture, and are ritual situations because they can be narrowly defined and involve some type of scripting.  Sacred consumption occurs when one wishes to obtain a mood or to enable others to feel a specific mood.  Secular consumption occurs when the consumer is trying to obtain subjugation over their environments.  This type can be an attempt to overcome what they may perceive as problems or obstacles that stand in their way to success.

The first, sacred consumption is the purchasing of goods that promote beauty, cooperation, and the nature conservation.  They may be used to place importance on virtues such as honor, integrity, and love (Hirschman, 348). Many of these desired products are designed to beautify surroundings or to invoke feelings of harmony with the environment.  Examples of this type of consumption are aromatherapy candles and Tropicana orange juice.  Aromatherapy candles are typically purchased when a consumer is trying to create a serene environment for themselves or for someone they love.  Therefore, candles are common gifts to friends and family members.  Tropicana advertises its orange juice by virtue of its freshness and its quality.  Their ads show orange groves with happy people attending to them.

            Secular consumption is designed to combat nature through technology and innovation.  Much of these products are man-made, and many are a result of technological advancement (Hirschman, 347).  Examples of secular consumption are Static Guard and Gatorade.  Static Guard is used to combat embarrassing static cling and Gatorade is designed to replenish electrolytes lost during exercise.  Athletes ritually consume beverages of this type because it is a part of the artifact set of exercising and other athletic endeavors.  The Gatorade website is full of information on the benefits of Gatorade and why it should be chosen during exercise instead of water.

Examples

Some examples of ritual situations, or consumption rituals, have already been discussed.  These include gift-giving, holiday shopping, and rites of passage activities.  Within each of these buying opportunities a given set of symbols are kept in mind, such as lights and special food for holidays, and candles and brightly wrapped gifts for birthdays or other gift-giving opportunities.

Hallmark stores do an affective job of evoking feelings of needs that necessitate a trip to their stores.  Their ads show positive experiences as a result of buying their products and show smiling people giving each other gifts around the time of targeted occasions, such as Christmas.  In the example above, the visitor to the Hallmark website is prompted to begin thinking about holiday decorating, in addition to the scores of other tasks and activities that come along with the holiday season, such as gift-giving, which the stores are ready and able to accommodate.

In this example, found on www.diamonds.com, visitors are given a cue to buy the best for their significant others.  Whether the readers are simply looking at options or deciding to buy from this website, they will understand that buying a diamond ring for that special woman is a situation that is not to be taken lightly.  The expense of the purchase itself is, in this case, also something that is not to be taken lightly.  The rings themselves are also examples of ritual artifacts.  They symbolize engagements, weddings, or anniversaries.

Ritual situations can be seen everywhere in American culture.  The next time you walk into a Hallmark store or the seasonal aisle of Wal-Mart, think about what ritual situation you may be taking a part in.

Relevant websites

www.hallmark.com This is the official website of the Hallmark store.

www.diamond.com Planning to propose to that special someone?  Try looking here for that perfect diamond.

www.jostens.com/graduation/HS/announcements/index.asp Jostens website.  Full of graduation stuff.

www.gatorade.com. The official Gatorade website.  Almost too much information on the sports drink.

Test for understanding

1)      A jack-o-lantern is an example of what?

a)      a symbol

b)      a pumpkin

c)      a ritual artifact

d)      Halloween

2)      A ___________ is a set of behaviors that an individual will perform when put in a specific situation.

a)      ritual situation

b)      script

c)      maze

d)      symbolic gesture

3)      Sacred consumption is ____________.

a)   the purchase of a bible or rosary.

b)   the purchase of an item by a member of the clergy.

c)   the purchase of items that promote beauty and nature conservation.

d)   the eating of a bible or rosary.

4)      Secular consumption is ­____________.

a)      the consumption of goods that are designed to combat nature.

b)      the cannibalization of humanist groups.

c)      the US President buying goods from overseas (imports)

d)      the purchasing of books on non-religious topics.

5)      Which of the following is NOT true about ritual situations?

a)      Ritual situations usually involve a script

b)      Ritual situations nearly always involve ritual artifacts.

c)      Ritual situations are sadistic in nature.

d)      Ritual situations are culturally influenced.

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Answer key: 1) C, 2) B, 3) C, 4) A, 5) C
 

References

Assal, Henry.  Consumer Behavior: A Strategic Approach.  Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston: 2004. Pp. 328-341.

Bossard, James H. S., and Eleanor S. Boll.  Ritual in Family Living: A Contemporary Study.  University of Pennsylvania Press, Philadelphia: 1950.  Pp. 60-62.

Hawkins, Del I., Roger J. Best, and Kenneth A Coney.  Consumer Behavior: Building Marketing Strategy.  Ninth edition.  McGraw Hill, Boston: 2004.

Hirschman, Elizabeth C. “The Ideology of Consumption: A Structural-Syntactical Analysis of ‘Dallas’ and ‘Dynasty.’” Journal of Consumer Research.  Vol. 15, December 1988.  Pp. 344-359.

Rook, Dennis W. “The Ritual Dimension of Consumer Behavior.” Journal of Consumer Research.  Vol. 12, December 1985.  Pp. 251-264.

Zaltman, Gerard.  How Consumers Think.  Harvard Business School Press, Boston: 2003.