Lit Crit Riffin': A Collaborative Mode of Literary Criticism in Marketing Theory

This paper explores the uses of literary criticism in consumer research, specifically within the humanistic tradition, by applying Roland Barthes’s theorisation that all texts embody multiple significations, thus open to diverse interpretations. We extend this idea by introducing collective criticism to reader-response theory. Through four distinct interpretations of a short story published in Marketing Theory, we highlight how various themes emerge from the same text. We propose the musical metaphor of Lit Crit Riffin’ as a novel methodological approach in consumer research drawing upon literary criticism, emphasising the coexistence of multiple meanings within a single narrative. Unlike conventional reader-response theory, which often privileges a singular interpretation, Lit Crit Riffin’ offers a multivocal alternative that enriches consumer research by embracing diverse, coexisting interpretations.