It has come to our attention that the Consumer Culture Theory track will not be offered at the 2018 ANZMAC conference, with papers to be subsumed into the already extensive Consumer Behaviour track. We are calling for the track to be reinstated.

CCT is a growing sub-discipline that epistemologically, theoretically and methodologically does not conform to the norms of the traditional consumer behaviour field. Hence, having a stand-alone track offers a vital space for CCT researchers and doctoral students in Australasia to present their research and network accordingly. Conference papers are often the first stop on the path to publication. Without the attention and feedback from colleagues who follow the literature, paper development suffers and authors have less of a chance of publishing their work. Many journals encourage CCT papers; in just the last 10 years (2007-2017) 78 CCT papers have appeared in the Journal of Consumer Research, the discipline’s top journal. These papers are among the journals most highly cited articles.

We believe that removing the CCT track would be a disservice to the academy. The track has attracted CCT researchers to ANZMAC who typically did not attend because they felt the academy did not represent their research interests. Please sign the petition, which will be forwarded to the ANZMAC Executive, to highlight the collective support of the Australasian CCT community in reinstating the track for the 2018 Adelaide conference and preserving it for future ANZMAC conferences.

Dr Lauren Gurrieri, on behalf of

The Consumer Culture Insights Group

RMIT University