Marketplace Exclusion: Representations, Resistances and Responses

The proposed seminar series tackles the important societal issue of marketplace exclusion, for example the mechanisms through which individuals and communities are barred from the resources and opportunities provided by the marketplace to the average citizen. It explores how marketplace exclusion operates within UK society and what measures we might take to help counter it. We aim to bring together leading scholars, early career researchers, and relevant user groups that are interested in the intersections between marketplace participation and other social categories, in particular community cohesion. We aim to highlight marketplace exclusion as a serious but largely neglected issue in both academic and policy circles. The series will also establish cross disciplinary networks for future research collaboration.

It is undeniable that we are living in an era of consumerism where we are increasingly encouraged to look to the marketplace to find meaning in our lives and to use products, services and brands to define ourselves in relation to others. Participation in the market, and the accompanying rights and responsibilities, is an essential aspect of social cohesion. Alongside the rise of consumerism we have seen a shift away from values of community and integrity towards those of materialism and competition. This in itself has been problematic for UK society as a whole however some groups are better equipped to thrive in this context than others. The recent riots of summer 2011 where young people targeted their frustrations at major brands (Boffey, 2012) is evidence of the alienation some groups are experiencing.

Marketplace exclusion might result from a range of financial factors such as poor access to jobs and forms of credit which mean that individuals simply cannot afford to participate in the marketplace. However, we are also concerned in this seminar series to explore the failure of the marketplace in social/symbolic terms. As such the seminar series will focus on representations through which individuals are excluded from the marketplace, engaging critically with the discourse and practice of advertising, marketing research and digital marketing both in the academy and in industry. The series will also explore the ways in which individuals and communities might resist marketplace exclusion through the development of alternative channels of consumption such as community shops and Local Economic Trading Systems (LETS). It will also explore policy responses to marketplace exclusion, specifically social housing and community cohesion policies, and aims to develop new insights on these.

The originality of the series lies in its cognate but cross disciplinary make-up of participants brought together to address the role of the marketplace in perpetuating exclusion for some groups in society. The organisers come from the relatively diverse fields of critical marketing, consumer research, organisation studies, housing studies and community cohesion. However, the most innovative element of the series is our collaboration with the New Vic Theatre group Borderlines, to use theatre to explore the issues emerging and work with the community to find solutions. The final seminar in the series will take the form of a theatre production with ten unemployed (NEETS) young people. Using findings from the previous five seminars the production will be designed to explore individuals' everyday experiences of alienation from the marketplace and create a response through theatre. The performance will be followed by a practitioner workshop involving the cast, local organisations and academics/practitioners from earlier seminars. The performance and workshop will uphold or challenge the issues discussed in earlier seminars. It will also allow excluded consumers to find a voice and find new and positive ways to understand themselves and their communities.

The strength of the series resides in the wide range of links with stakeholder communities that the eight investigators bring to the project. These include businesses, policy makers, charities and media representatives. The inclusion of Sue Moffat from New Vic Borderlines also means that the series will be well represented in the local community of Stoke-on-Trent drawing on her established links to community groups, community leaders and youth services. In summary the impacts will be as follows:

1. Enhancing understanding and knowledge of the concept of marketplace exclusion in society to ensure that blame is not placed at the level of individuals but rather wider mechanisms of exclusion.
2. Contributing positively to marketing practice in how consumers are represented in digital marketing, advertising and marketing research.
3. Contributing to public policy debates on marketplace exclusion at local, regional and national levels.
4. Promoting a powerful methodology for co-designing and co-producing knowledge with local communities.
5. Engaging excluded groups by giving them a voice and a role in rethinking the above grassroots and policy responses.

Below is a summary of the groups that will benefit from the seminars along with the ways in which they might benefit.

Seminars 1 and 2 (marketing practitioners, in particular market researchers, advertisers and digital marketers).
In seminar 1 we will be exploring the mechanisms that exclude consumers in both marketing theory and practice. In seminar 2 we will extend these debates into the realm of digital marketing. In particular we will interrogate and build on the recent government 'Consumer Empowerment Strategy' (Department for Business Innovation and Skills, BIS 2011) and MiData initiative. The seminar will build on Nottingham University's reputation as a centre of research into the digital economy supported by the Horizon Institute.

Seminar 3 (community shops, community exchange initiatives, charitable bodies which support these initiatives).
In seminar 3 we will bring together those involved in developing and running community based initiatives such as community shops and Local Economic Trading Systems (LETS), along with those tasked with supporting these initiatives such as The Plunkett Foundation and the Transition Network. The aim is for these initiatives to share experiences and best practice.

Seminar 4 and 5 (third sector organisations, policy makers, media commentators, Think Tanks, housing associations).
In seminars 4 and 5 we will bring together a range of practitioners to evaluate potential policy responses to marketplace exclusion, specifically social housing and community cohesion policies, and develop new insights on these. In seminar 4 we explore the issues arising from multiculturalism and the community cohesion policy response. In seminar 5 we consider affordable housing in England exploring why, and how the mixed communities housing policy has been a failure, the impact on those excluded from the housing market, and whose responsibility it is to foster cohesive communities.

Seminar 6 (young people from the Stoke-on-Trent area, local youth support services, probationary service and youth offending service, Job Centre).
Seminar 6 will be different from previous seminars. We aim to use this seminar as a vehicle to explore the issues arising from the previous 5 seminars. These issues will from the basis of a theatre production with young people in the Stoke-On-Trent area which will explore their experiences of marketplace exclusion 'on the ground'. It will also facilitate knowledge exchange between young people and practitioners though a workshop where key issues arising from the performance will be debated.

As outlined in the pathways to impact, the above benefits will be delivered through a website and social media strategy. The theatre production and participant workshop will also be central to delivering impact.