Ideas that resonate: how ideology drives consumers’ firm-supportive market shaping

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to understand how and why consumers engage in market-shaping activities on behalf of firms.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses a combination of archival, netnographic and interview methods to examine how consumers responded to the entry of Tesla into the U.S. automotive market.FindingsConsumers are driven to engage in supportive institutional work by the culturally resonant ideologies embodied in Tesla’s strategic orientation. This work takes both discursive and practical forms and sees consumers adopting responsibilities typically associated with other actors, including activists and sales professionals.Originality/valueIn developing an account of an understudied phenomenon – consumers’ firm-supportive market shaping – this research extends theorization around institutional work and cultural branding.