Document Type
Conference Proceeding
Publication Date
2022
Abstract
Despite over one-quarter of females suffering baby loss, there is virtually no research in marketing examining the devastating impacts of such loss from a consumer standpoint. There are incredible stigmas that overshadow these vulnerable consumers and understanding how marketing helps and hurts consumers post-loss in the marketplace is of critical importance. Through 30 in-depth interviews with bereaved mothers in the U.S. (specifically mothers who lost a baby during pregnancy or within one year after birth), this research builds off stigma theory to shed light on the consumer journey post-loss in an effort to bring these consumers what they desire – acknowledgement. Key themes that emerged include a need for acknowledgement of their baby and their status as a mother, greater awareness of loss, marketing interactions that reduce negative triggers, as well as increases in positive triggers that honors lost babies.
Recommended Citation
Minton, Elizabeth A.; Anthony, Carissa; Wang, Cindy Xin; and Fox, Alexa, "Mothers with Empty Arms: Marketing, Stigma, and Bereaved Mothers" (2022). Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2022. 69.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/amtp-proceedings_2022/69
