Marketing to Liminal Consumers

Abstract

Though most acculturation research investigates movement across national boundaries, many types of boundaries may exist (e.g. rural/urban migration). Rural migrant workers focus on their adaptive and exploratory consumption practices to assemble liquid identity in China. In essence, this research examines the transitions that the vast group of Chinese (over 280 million) endures as migrant workers seek to assemble a new identity through consumption activities in a liminal space. Thus, it contributes to macromarketing by enriching the theory of liquid identity, boundary work, and acculturation.