From Artifacts to Experiences: Brands in the Era of Prosumeration

Abstract

Consumer behavior is a complex and dynamic phenomenon as it embraces cultural and social aspects, previous experience and mass media influence. This paper proposes that in order to study how brands frame consumers’ perception and preferences an interdisciplinary perspective is fruitful. It uses a socio-semiotic perspective to define and analyze some contemporary marketing practices in brand building and consumer relationship management that demonstrate the relativity of the notion of “product” and underline the active communicative interaction between a brand and its consumers regarding the experience provided. Some of the most prominent analytical models of the product value building are presented, along with a discussion of the cultural typology of experience production. Finally, it is argued that multimodality has a special place as an actual and useful tool for improving the communication management via sensorial and cognitive stimulation.