Peeps, beemers and scooby-doos: exploring community value among Scottish cruisers

Hewer, Paul and Brownlie, Douglas and Treanor, Steven and Ferguson, Pauline and Hamilton, Susan (2008) Peeps, beemers and scooby-doos: exploring community value among Scottish cruisers. Advances in Consumer Research, 35. pp. 429-438. ISSN 0098-9258 (http://www.acrwebsite.org/volumes/display.asp?id=1...)

[thumbnail of naacr_vol35_219_1_.pdf]
Preview
PDF. Filename: naacr_vol35_219_1_.pdf
Final Published Version

Download (201kB)| Preview

Abstract

Using an ethnographic approach which combines impromptu interviews, participant observation and analysis of online computer mediated communication we explore the consumer culture which surrounds the Scottish cruiser community. The on-going study uses the conceptual framework of neo-tribal consumption, exploring forms of ephemeral and emotional communities which cohere around the car. Our analysis suggests that the cultural practices of customization and the performance of the cruise make explicit a shared sense of collective consciousness which expresses the construction of community value which emerges from such ephemeral gatherings.