ASPECTOS CULTURAIS E SUBJETIVOS PARA O CONSUMO DE PRODUTOS DE LUXO NO BRASIL CENTRAL.

Abstract

This study aimed to analyze individual and social aspects for the consumption of luxury goods in Central Brazil. Two approaches were used, the first, signifying cultural, second, critical-being utilitarian. Authors such as Featherstone (1995), McCracken (2006) and Mary Douglas (2007) were listed in critical approach; and authors such as Veblen (1983), Baudrillard (1995) and Bauman (2005) were related to the cultural approach. This thesis considers that the consumption of luxury products consists of social and cultural practices, wrapped in meanings manifest in collective consumption and needs. Aspects of individual utilities are placed in secondary analysis plan, since consumer is not seen as an individual who consumes to live. This society is seen as one among many other consumer societies that produce and consume luxury as something necessary to human life, as well as other resources seen by economists as basic or essential. Two studies of descriptive and exploratory character, being the first quantitative and qualitative the second were performed. In Study 1, questionnaire application was conducted in Goiânia, Uberlândia and Palmas, in order to validate the scale of Consumer Motivations for Luxury Products (MCL). In Study 2, to further this research, six interviews were held in Uberlandia, Araguari and Catalão. The analysis technique used for Study 1 consisted of Factor Analysis (FA), Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) and Study 2, the discursive analysis of Lane (1985). The main results in study 1 were: tradition is predominant for luxury consumption, is related to product functionality; pleasure is the greatest motivation for this use, consisting of status, uniqueness, differentiation, tradition and product functionality; in study 2 has that luxury was related to dream and sensory experience; plan to consume the luxury recurs because the "bloggers" play the role of providing information about the best brands, prices and conditions, in addition to playing great informational role of the media. The study also showed that price and conspicuous consumption are intrinsic to that particular consumer aspects, no longer serving as discriminating factors. There is also an effective unity among the luxury goods, in which the symbolism highlights the complementarity between them. This aspect explains how spoofing works, fulfilling the role of satisfaction of individual needs and not collective meanings of consumption. Integration of Study 1 with Study 2 brought some enlightening aspects like product knowledge entails status; pleasure is propelling consumption of luxury; There impulse purchase, but under planning; needs and meanings are complementary from the point of view of consumption and falsification does not fulfill its role of providing status. There transformation point of "quality" for "functionality" as principal aspect.