Communicating identity: how the symbolic meaning of goods creates different market types

This paper argues that the different symbolic meanings of goods give rise to three institutionally market types. We start from realization consumption has meaning, which individuals use communicate and construct their identity social networks. argue firm behavior (including size, pricing marketing strategies) must be congruent with meaning goods. distinguish between two stylized goods, status taste, we derive socio-anthropological literature on consumption. these meanings, articulated by consumers identity, ideal-typical present institutional differences types as well implications for demonstrate how strategies differs significantly markets in is relatively unimportant. recent transformation beer craft-beer producers, illustrate our theory.