TY  - CHAP
AB  - Purpose We aim to understand what happens when larger social and cultural myths become the incarnate understanding of consumers within the firm. This paper uncovers the varied myths at play in one Finnish company’s status as an inadvertent cultural icon.Methodology/approach Through a qualitative inquiry of Finland’s largest dairy producer and by employing the theoretical lens of myth, we conceptualize the entanglement of broad cultural, social, and organizational myths within the organization.Findings Macro-mythic structures merge with everyday employee practice giving consumer understanding flesh within the firm (Hallet, 2010). Mythological thinking leaves organizational members inevitably bound up in a form of consumer knowing that is un-reflective and inadvertently effects brand marketing management.Originality/value Working through a nuanced typology of myth (Tillotson & Martin, 2014) provided a deeper understanding of how managers may become increasingly un-reflexive in their marketing activities. This case also provides a cautionary tale for heterogeneous communities where ideological conflict underscores development and adoption of contemporary myths.
VL  - 17
SN  - 978-1-78560-323-5, 978-1-78560-322-8/0885-2111
DO  - 10.1108/S0885-211120150000017010
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1108/S0885-211120150000017010
AU  - Tillotson Jack S.
AU  - Martin Diane M.
PY  - 2015
Y1  - 2015/01/01
TI  - Myth-Mediated Branding
T2  - Consumer Culture Theory
T3  - Research in Consumer Behavior
PB  - Emerald Group Publishing Limited
SP  - 189
EP  - 221
Y2  - 2024/05/04
ER  -