Dressing in white, a true brazilian tradition: social influence, values, and symbolic consumption

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5902/1983465917984

Keywords:

Social influence, Values, Symbolic consumption, New Year’s Eve

Abstract

This article seeks to understand how the individual interpretation of the social influence of groups and personal values relate to the symbolic consumption of white clothes in the festivities of New Year’s Eve, a true Brazilian tradition. For that, we used a descriptive research design with personal interviews and survey, using thematic analysis and logistic regression. The results indicated that if it is necessary to be part of a group, people who value warm relations with others, fun and enjoyment, and who can modify their social self-presentation, are more likely to wear white clothes in this time of the year. Also, as for personal values, it was verified that if the use of white clothes favors the warm relations with others, fun, and enjoyment, there will be a high probability that one will wear white in the turn of the year. Our contribution relies on studying a typical Brazilian tradition that has an impact on apparel retailing sales and needs a better academic understanding. In terms of management, there is a clear indication of the social consumption of the clothes, and of group influence, which can be used in communications arguments from retailers to consumers. 

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Author Biographies

Francisco Vicente Sales Melo, Universidade Federal de Ceará, Fortaleza, CE

Professor do Departamento de Ciências Administrativas da Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (DCA/UFPE). Doutor em Administração pelo PROPAD/UFPE.

Salomão Alencar de Farias, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, PE

Professor do Departamento de Ciências Administrativas da Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (DCA/UFPE). Pós-Doutor em Negócios Internacionais pelo Central Piedmont Community College, em Charlotte na Carolina do Norte (EUA) e em Administração na Georgia State University (EUA). Doutor em Administração pela FEA/USP.

Ohana Trajano Barbosa, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP

Doutoranda em Administração pela FEA/USP. Mestre em Administração pelo PROPAD/UFPE.

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Published

2019-07-08

How to Cite

Melo, F. V. S., Farias, S. A. de, & Barbosa, O. T. (2019). Dressing in white, a true brazilian tradition: social influence, values, and symbolic consumption. Revista De Administração Da UFSM, 12(2), 215–232. https://doi.org/10.5902/1983465917984

Issue

Vol. 12 No. 2 (2019): Apr-Jun

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Articles

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