Rebel Against Pat Notions of Rebellion

Water cannon, tear gas, and police batons are being used against citizen protests by Turks. At least four deaths have been attributed to the demonstrations. In using this chapter of rebellion to kick off today’s posting on how your store can be more profitable, I do not want to minimize the gravity of the current events in Turkey. I selected this time and that place because events there show the unexpected forms rebellion can take.

•  A few years ago, researchers from Bilkent University in Ankara asked why an increasing number of Turkish women are now wearing veils in a secular country in which the practice has been banned in public buildings. The answer? Rebellion. Although the veil is generally seen by Westerners as repressive, many Turkish women adopted it as a sign of deviance from the values of their mothers. 
• A few months ago, a Bloomberg Businessweek article analyzed the success of Etesettür.com, the retailer of fashionable clothing cuts, colors, and patterns which completely cover a woman’s hairline, legs, and arms. 

     Your opportunities for selling to rebelling extend well beyond clothing. For instance, findings from research at University of Pittsburgh and University of South Carolina suggest that self-perceived experts are especially likely to shop at retailers who categorize foods in rebellious ways.
     Shoppers seeking rebellion tend to be young, hold values strongly, and/or perceive themselves as experts in the product or service category. But not all young people are strong rebels. Researchers from Laval University in Canada and University of Sousse in Tunisia identified adolescent girls who could be classified as either progressive or conservative.

• The progressive girls formed brand images most directly based upon their self-esteem. The implication for retailers is to appeal to what the shopper believes will make her feel better about herself. Because what we think of ourselves is determined in part by what others think of us, this also was a factor. However, it was an indirect effect, much weaker than the self-esteem. The progressive girls are relatively independent. 
• With conservative girls, the retailer does best to appeal to whatever the shopper believes will help them fit in well. The conservative girls tune into trends in a transitioning culture to decide what they need to hold out against. But they also trace the paths of change in order to decide when to make monumental instead of incremental changes in order to maintain social acceptability. 

Click below for more: 
Sell to People Who Want to Rebel 
Transition As Entire Cultures Transition 
Enable Shoppers to Revisit the Already Done