Something Old, Something New: Exploring the Interaction between Ritual and Advertising

Abstract

Although the study of consumer rituals is increasing, the relationship between advertising and consumer rituals has not been explored. The authors offer a framework for examining the influence of those cultural institutions, articulating the ways advertising can influence consumption during rituals, as well as the ways advertising employs ritual symbolism to create messages about products and services not designed for use during such occasions. They provide examples of ads employing symbols associated with the wedding—a sociologically and economically significant ritual in our culture. The authors argue that advertising not only influences ritual, but is often a form of secular ritual itself. They propose several areas for future research.