Question 1

____________ is a term that describes the ways in which human subjects' senses of national and community belonging are increasingly constructed through participation in brand cultures.
A) Consumer's republic
B) Consumer citizenship
C) Branded authenticity
D) Participatory culture

Accepted Answer

Consumer citizenship refers to the idea that individuals are not only consumers but also citizens who have a role in shaping the market and society. In this context, brand cultures have become a way for individuals to express their sense of belonging to a national or community identity through their consumption choices. This concept emphasizes the blurring of boundaries between consumption and citizenship and the increasing importance of brands in shaping our social identities.

Question 2

Whereas markets were previously organized around the production and circulation of ____________, Scott Lash and Celia Lury propose that today ____________ serve this function.
A) economics; emotions
B) a company's ideology; participatory cultures
C) commodities; brands
D) things; symbols

Accepted Answer

The first blank refers to what markets were previously organized around, and the second blank refers to what serves that function today. The most appropriate answer is (C) commodities and brands, as commodities are the physical products that were previously the focus of market organization, and brands now serve that function by representing a company and its products and influencing consumer behavior.

Question 3

The ways that cultural forms can define and interpellate viewer-consumer-users as individuals, when in fact they are selling homogeneous experiences are referred to as ____________.
A) pseudoindividuality
B) branded authenticity
C) branding integration
D) brand ideologies

Accepted Answer

Pseudoindividuality refers to the illusion of choice or personalization that is marketed to consumers, when in reality, they are being sold the same homogeneous experience as everyone else. This can be seen in the way that cultural forms, such as branding and advertising, create the illusion of individuality and choice, while actually reinforcing the dominant cultural norms and ideologies of a given society.

Question 4

In terms of consumer culture, ____________ provides an explanation for why we enjoy consuming yet always need more or feel disappointment afterward.
A) the therapeutic ethos
B) excess
C) Marxist theory
D) lack

Accepted Answer

Lack is a concept that explains why consumers continually seek new products or experiences to fulfill unmet desires, leading to a cycle of consumption and dissatisfaction. This concept suggests that there is always something missing that drives the desire for more, hence the feeling of disappointment after consumption as the newness wears off and the lack re-emerges.

Question 5

By the end of the twentieth century, advertisers offered brand identity to consumers as something in which they could share through association with ____________.
A) the world of the brand
B) desires constructed by advertisements
C) therapeutic consumerism
D) consumer citizenship

Accepted Answer

Advertisers offered brand identity to consumers as something in which they could share through association with the world of the brand. This means that consumers were encouraged to identify with and feel part of the brand's culture and values, rather than simply purchasing a product.

Question 6

____________ emerged in late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century modernity and transformed citizens and workers into individuals who saw purchases of mass-produced goods as legitimately and necessarily motivated by desire for status and symbolic cultural capital, and not just by need or for investment.
A) Consumers' republics
B) Commodity fetishism
C) Consumer societies
D) Communicative capitalism

Accepted Answer

Consumer societies emerged in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century modernity and transformed individuals into consumers who saw purchasing mass-produced goods as legitimate and necessary for status and symbolic cultural capital, not just for need or investment.

Question 7

Analyses of commodities and how they function come to us primarily through ____________ theory, which is both a general analysis of the role of economics in human history and a specific analysis of how capitalism functions.
A) Commodity fetishist
B) Social exchange
C) Frankfurt School
D) Marxist

Accepted Answer

Analyses of commodities and how they function come primarily from Marxist theory. This theory provides a general analysis of the role of economics in human history and a specific analysis of how capitalism functions. Marxist theory examines how the production and distribution of goods and services impact power dynamics, class conflict, and social relations.

Question 8

Resistance to one ____________ involves engagement in another, even if it is an alternative one.
A) brand culture
B) counterculture
C) market model
D) modern spatial relationship

Accepted Answer

The answer of Resistance to one ____________ involves engagement in...

Question 9

The Bubbles ad of the Pears Company drew in potential consumers by engaging which ethos of the era?
A) puritanical values of thrift and hard work
B) cleanliness being next to godliness
C) pride in belonging to the burgeoning middle class
D) corporate obligations to give back to the world of workers and consumers

Accepted Answer

The Bubbles ad of the Pears Company drew in potential consumers by engaging the ethos of cleanliness being next to godliness, which was a prevalent belief during the era.

Question 10

What structures were arcades built to most resemble?
A) highways
B) cathedrals
C) train stations
D) factories

Accepted Answer

Arcades were built to most resemble cathedrals, with their grandiose and decorative arches and vaulted ceilings.

Question 11

What was the effect of Nestlé's global advertisement campaign claiming that their baby formula was more nutritional than breast milk?
A) Mothers were relieved of the some of the stress inherent in raising a newborn.
B) Children's health improved around the globe.
C) Some babies had a brief allergic reaction.
D) Babies suffered malnutrition and death from starvation.

Accepted Answer

Nestlé's global advertisement campaign claiming that their baby formula was more nutritional than breast milk led to a decline in breastfeeding and an increase in the use of formula, particularly in developing countries where access to clean water and proper sanitation was limited. This resulted in malnutrition and death from starvation for some babies who were not able to receive adequate nutrition from the formula due to a lack of resources and education on correct preparation and usage.

Question 12

Sarah Banet-Weiser uses the ____________ campaign as "one example from the contemporary marketing landscape that demonstrates the futility of a binary understanding of culture as authentic versus commercial."
A) Chevron We Agree
B) Kenneth Cole AIDS
C) Dove Real Beauty
D) Always Like a Girl

Accepted Answer

Sarah Banet-Weiser specifically mentions the Dove Real Beauty campaign as an example of how a commercial campaign can also have a social message, challenging the notion of a strict boundary between commercial and authentic culture.

Question 13

Nicole Cohen argues, "positioned in terms of the valorization of surveillance and the commodification of user information, ____________ cannot be understood outside of the broader context of capital accumulation in a digital age, where the relentless drive to accumulate and to rationalize production has moved online."
A) guerrilla marketing
B) consumer tracking
C) cookies
D) social media

Accepted Answer

Nicole Cohen's argument highlights the role of social media in the broader context of capital accumulation in the digital age, emphasizing how these platforms are intertwined with surveillance and the commodification of user information to drive profit and rationalize production online.

Question 14

This new commerce model, enacted by companies such as ____________, promotes a culture in which the boundaries between the global and the local, and between the consumer and the producer, are fluid.
A) Craigslist
B) Airbnb
C) GoPro
D) Etsy

Accepted Answer

The model described in the sentence is most closely associated with Etsy, an online marketplace focused on handmade and vintage goods. While all of the choices listed could be categorized as examples of the sharing economy or peer-to-peer marketplaces, only Etsy emphasizes the idea of consumers becoming producers and blurring the lines between the global and the local.

Question 15

G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero was an animated television series based on Hasboro's G.I. Joe line of action figures. Rather than a single, eponymous character, G.I. Joe was an elite special mission unit of the United States military, reflecting the various dolls Hasboro sold under this name. Each had its own personality and specialized knowledge that aided in the seemingly eternal fight against Cobra Commander. As the young viewers got to know the different dolls on the show, they developed a personal connection that resulted in a desire to own those dolls they did not already have. Which media scholar theorized this end result of a children's television show based on a product?
A) David Serlin
B) Anne Friedberg
C) Heather Hendershot
D) Emile Zola

Accepted Answer

Heather Hendershot theorized about the impact of children's television shows on consumer behavior, particularly how shows like G.I. Joe could influence children's desires for the toys associated with the show.

Question 16

It's the day before the wedding of Alexia's best friend. As a bridesmaid, she is required to wear silver shoes. Alexia found the perfect pair online. However, she just tracked the package, and its expected arrival date is a day after the wedding. She rushes to the mall in a panic and finds the exact same shoes but at double the price. She begrudgingly purchases them anyway; with the wedding so close, their ____________ has significantly increased.
A) use value
B) commodification
C) exchange value
D) cultural capital

Accepted Answer

The answer of It's the day before the wedding of...

Question 17

In 2016, an attempt to convert seven Nipomo, CA, "urban farm homes" into housing for a hundred temporary Mexican farm workers was met with anger and opposition from neighbors. Debate over who should or should not live in these homes in a city that is 75 percent white intensified, and one of these houses was even set on fire. While the sale of locally grown produce in California is escalating, those who live in the cities and towns next to farms have used lawsuits and quickly produced housing regulations to keep seasonal workers, often from Mexico, out of the dirty, crowded spaces far from the farms on which they work. Which element of commodity fetishism does the workers' presence disallow Nipomo residents from engaging in?
A) creating commodity's exchange value
B) emptying the commodity of its meaning
C) outsourcing production
D) selling produce at a higher price

Accepted Answer

The presence of the Mexican farm workers disallows Nipomo residents from emptying the commodity of its meaning, as the workers are a reminder of the labor required to produce the locally grown produce and disrupt the idealized image of the commodity as a solely natural or mechanical object.

Question 18

Only one in six plastic bottles purchased are recycled. The rest sit in landfills, decomposing over their 1,000-year lifespan while injecting the earth and water around them with toxic chemicals. Water companies, however, market their water-sold in plastic bottles-as clean and coming from a natural source. What strategy is this an example of?
A) culture jamming
B) humanitarianism
C) greenwashing
D) appropriation of a counterculture

Accepted Answer

This is an example of greenwashing, which is a marketing strategy used to create the perception that a company's products are environmentally friendly or sustainable, when in reality they are not. The water companies are promoting their water as clean and natural, while ignoring the negative environmental impact of the plastic bottles they use.

Question 19

Rafa just purchased his new favorite jeans at American Apparel. Excited to share this momentous occasion with his friends, he took a selfie, posted it on Instagram, and tagged American Apparel in the image. While checking his Twitter the next day, Rafa saw that his selfie had been regrammed on American Apparel's official account. When he excitedly told his mom the news, she asked if he was paid for the use of his image and likeness. He was not. "In the future," she said, "you shouldn't place ____________ ideologies above fair reimbursement for your labor."
A) consumer citizenship
B) communicative capitalist
C) Marxist
D) pseudoindividualist

Accepted Answer

Communicative capitalist ideology emphasizes the importance of self-expression and sharing, but it can also lead to the exploitation of individuals' labor and images without fair compensation.

Question 20

Jenny, a Mexican-American woman, has been unable to find a job for at least a year. When she sees an ad for PeoplePerHour, a website that lists freelance, web-related gigs, she jumps at the opportunity to join. In so doing, she aligns with the research of ____________ regarding the types of freelancers who most often provide "immaterial," digital labor.
A) Genevieve Carpio
B) Lizbeth Cohen
C) Lauren Greenfield
D) Lilly Irani

Accepted Answer

Lilly Irani is known for her research on digital labor and has specifically studied freelancers who provide "immaterial" labor on online platforms such as PeoplePerHour.

Quiz 7: Brand Culture: the Images and Spaces of Consumption

____________ is a term that describes the ways in which human subjects' senses of national and community belonging are increasingly constructed through participation in brand cultures.

Whereas markets were previously organized around the production and circulation of , Scott Lash and Celia Lury propose that today serve this function.

The ways that cultural forms can define and interpellate viewer-consumer-users as individuals, when in fact they are selling homogeneous experiences are referred to as ____________.

In terms of consumer culture, ____________ provides an explanation for why we enjoy consuming yet always need more or feel disappointment afterward.

By the end of the twentieth century, advertisers offered brand identity to consumers as something in which they could share through association with ____________.

Analyses of commodities and how they function come to us primarily through ____________ theory, which is both a general analysis of the role of economics in human history and a specific analysis of how capitalism functions.

Resistance to one ____________ involves engagement in another, even if it is an alternative one.

The Bubbles ad of the Pears Company drew in potential consumers by engaging which ethos of the era?

What structures were arcades built to most resemble?

What was the effect of Nestlé's global advertisement campaign claiming that their baby formula was more nutritional than breast milk?

Sarah Banet-Weiser uses the ____________ campaign as "one example from the contemporary marketing landscape that demonstrates the futility of a binary understanding of culture as authentic versus commercial."

This new commerce model, enacted by companies such as ____________, promotes a culture in which the boundaries between the global and the local, and between the consumer and the producer, are fluid.