27/05/2014
Founded by Sabancı University and the Advertising Foundation, the Brand Practices Platform continues to have discussions on the important aspects of marketing.
On Monday, May 5, 2014, the “Middle Classes: The New Marketing Favorites” lecture was held at the Sabancı University Sakıp Sabancı Museum.
The lecture was given by Istanbul Şehir University Business School Associate Professor Özlem Sandıkcı. Sandıkcı began by emphasizing the importance of understanding the middle class for growth and sustainable economy. Sandıkcı said that apart from figures, there was little information regarding the middle class, and the neo-liberal transformation created a new class. Sandıkcı said that the three main socio-ideological sensitivities defining this class were project individuals, average individualism and suspect cosmopolitan, and that these sensitivities shaped consumption habits. Özlem Sandıkcı argued that socio-ideological sensitivities gave rise to a new mode of consumption that may be called formulated creativity.
The panel discussion following the lecture was moderated by Sabancı University Executive Development Unit Director Dr. Cüneyt Evirgen. Speakers were Oya Canbaş from Procter & Gamble; Vural Çakır from IPSOS; and Tülay İdil from Boyner Holding. Participants spoke about the initiatives of their respective companies for the middle class. Panelist Vural Çakır underscored the middle class lack of confidence, while Cüneyt Evirgen mentioned the difficulty of becoming a global brand without becoming a brand in one’s own industry.
