Market-Oriented Ethnography Revisited

LINDA L. PRICE University of Arizona [email protected] This article discusses and iiiustrates the benefits of an approach to market-criented ethnographic research that leads to insights somewhat different than those provided by two dominant approaches in applied ethnography. Our approach privileges reiaticnships and participation in reiatedness as the object of anaiysis. This contrasts with the macro-levei approach of trying to "get inside the consumer's head" and aiso contrasts with micro-levei approaches that narrowiy focus on "the consumer's feeiings about my brand." The insights our meso-level approach provides are enhanced understanding of the place of firm-provided resources (products, services, symbois, slogans, environments, etc.) in the conduct of everyday consumers' lives in consumer centric marketspaces. We iiiustrate our mesc-ievei approach drawing on an empiricai iiiustration of homemade food preparation and reiated manageriai opportunities.