For Immediate Release: March 29, 2005
Contact: Carrie Olivia Adams / 773-834-0386 / coa@press.uchicago.edu
**
The Cult of Consumerism: How Consumers Bind Together to Religiously
Worship a (Sometimes Deceased) Brand
Everything that is crucial to religion—shared values and beliefs, community interactions,
storytelling, and an acceptance of the supernatural—can also be found in the worship by
consumers of many marginal brands to hit the marketplace, propose Albert Muñiz, Jr.
(DePaul University) and Hope Jensen Schau (Temple University) in their published in the
March 2005 issue of the Journal of Consumer Research.
“Our findings reveal something about the nature of the types of brands that foster brand
communities. Clear examples of brand communities have been found in cars (Bronco, Jeep,
Saab, Volkswagen), computers (Macintosh, Newton) and even science-fiction (Star Trek, Star
Wars, Xena: Warrior Princess, X-Files). All of these brand communities have been
demonstrated to be capable of producing transformative experiences in their consumers and
all have traces of magic, religion or the supernatural,” write the authors.
The researchers examined the intense relationship that certain groups of consumers forge
not only with a specific brand but also with each other. As a result of this research, Muñiz
and Schau argue that the true underlying principle of this behavior stems from “followers”
of a brand demonstrating cult-like worship—a consumer culture driven form of modern
religion. In particular, for this study they focused on the now defunct brand, the Apple
Newton.
“The consumers of the forsaken Apple Newton brand are now charged with the
responsibility for the entire brand-sustaining experience: modifying, repairing, and
innovating the product, writing brand promotions and performing the brand experience,”
the authors explain. “As part of this brand performance, they engage in consumer-toconsumer narrative interactions that bind the community together and reify its values and
beliefs. Supernatural, religious, and magical motifs are common in these stories, including
the miraculous performance and survival of the brand, as well as the return of the brand
creator. We see traditional religious stories, players, and parts played out in the marketplace.”
Religiosity in the Abandoned Apple Newton Brand Community. By ALBERT M. MUÑIZ, JR. and HOPE
JENSEN SCHAU. © 2005 by JOURNAL OF CONSUMER RESEARCH, Inc. ● Vol. 31 ● March
2005