Professor James Cronin
Professor in Marketing and Consumer Culture StudiesResearch Interests
I am a Professor in Consumer Culture Studies with the Department of Marketing at Lancaster University Management School and Director of the LUMS Centre for Consumption Insights. My principal research focuses on the social and cultural aspects of consumer behaviour including collective and symbolic forms of consumption, marketplace ideologies, consumer escapism, and the cultural politics of marketing. I am also interested in consumer health & wellbeing, food cultures, and the parasocial relationships that consumers forge with celebrities and celebrity brands. Much of my current research activities focus on how social structures, ideologies, and interactions between people shape and ground their consumption experiences. In order to explore these areas, I have used a variety of qualitative research methods and explanatory concepts.
My work has appeared in international peer-reviewed journals including Sociology of Health & Illness, European Journal of Marketing, Marketing Theory, Journal of Marketing Management, Consumption, Markets & Culture, and Journal of Business Research. I recently co-edited a Special Issue for the Journal of Marketing Management entitled 'De-romanticising the market: advances in Consumer Culture Theory' (2022, Vol. 38 Iss 1-2).
Presently, I am involved as a co-investigator on the UKRI NERC-funded 'Plastic Packaging in People's Lives' (PPiPL) interdisciplinary project. The PPiPL project seeks to produce a critical, nuanced, and comprehensive overview of the ideological, socio-cultural, historical, and industrial conditions, circular supply chain logistics, and post-consumer pathways that contribute to the perceived legitimacy of plastic packaging materials in the UK. I draw from philosophy and cultural theory to approach plastic as a "passengerial" marketplace icon that furtively accompanies consumers on their various experiential journeys.
I regularly present my work at the Interpretive Consumer Research (ICR) Workshops and Consumer Culture Theory (CCT) conferences and won the Best Paper Award at the 2016 CCT conference in Lille, France.
Research Grants
1. 'Plastic Packaging in Peoples’ Lives (PPiPL): Understanding attitudes and behaviour around plastic food packaging' (Nov 2020-Oct 2023). Awarded by Natural Environment Research Council, UKRI. Amount awarded: £760,257
Awarded to: Professor Maria Piacentini (Co PI), Dr Alison Stowell (Co PI), Professor James Cronin (CI), Dr Alex Skandalis (CI), Professor Linda Hendry (CI), Dr John Hardy (CI)
2. Public experiences of service change in primary care: Focusing on the spaces and places of service delivery (Oct 2022- Oct 2025). Competitive PhD CASE Studentship awarded by NWSSDTP Economic and Social Research Council, UKRI.
Awarded to: co-supervisors Professor Maria Piacentini & Professor James Cronin
Additional Information
EXTERNAL ENGAGEMENT & KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE
Recent Media Publications
Cronin, J. (2018), “A Quiet Place and Far Cry 5: popular media on the dangers of ‘speaking out’”, The Conversation, 12th April.
Cronin, J. (2017), "Back in time for Christmas dinner: the modern desire for a bygone age", The Conversation, 22nd December.
Cronin, J. (2017), “The shopping experience is out of date”, The Grocer, 23rd February.
Cronin, J. (2016), “Why novelty dining experiences are just another way of getting high”, The Conversation, 27th June.
Cronin, J. (2016), “How sauerkraut is leading a food revolution”, The Conversation, 15th June.
Cronin, J. (2016), “Nutripocalypse: The Nutrition Labelling Overload”, Huffington Post, 11th May.
Cronin, J. (2016), “Predicting a Sugar Tax Blowback”, Huffington Post, 19th April.
Provided expert commentary to the media
- Quoted in The Irish Times (2017) article “YouTube instafamous changing rules of celebrity creation”, 18th January at: https://www.irishtimes.com/business/technology/youtube-instafamous-changing-rules-of-celebrity-creation-1.3358847
- Quoted in Waitrose Weekend (2016) article “How the Internet feeds on our love of food” (pp.8-9) on 10th November
- Quoted in The Times’ (2016) special report on “Spotlight on sustainable packaging” (pp.8-9) on 16th June, available through Raconteur at: http://raconteur.net/business/spotlight-on-sustainable-packaging
- Quoted in The Times’ (2015) special report on “How to measure the value consumers place on a brand” (pp.8-9) on 28th April, available through Raconteur at: http://raconteur.net/business/how-to-measure-brand-value
Current Teaching
I am a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Authority. I have expertise in research-led teaching at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels, specialising in consumer behaviour, brand management, brand strategy, and issues pertaining to consumer culture. My teaching takes a critical and cultural approach to the brand-related activities of organisations and seeks to encourage a more mindful, socially-aware understanding of the role of brands in contemporary consumer culture.
I was awarded the Management School Teaching Prize at the 2018 Dean’s Awards and was 'Highly Commended' for my teaching at the University-wide 2022 Staff Awards.
PhD Supervisions Completed
Dr Scott Jones (completed PhD part-time in 2021), Senior Lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University
Co-supervised w/ Professor Maria Piacentini
PhD Supervision Interests
I am willing to supervise PhD students in the broad areas of interpretive consumer research and critical marketing studies.
LU GCRF Block Grant and Newton & FCRI: Plastic Packaging in Peoples Lives - Malaysia
03/10/2022 → 30/09/2023
Research
Plastic Packaging in Peoples' Lives (PPiPL): Bridging the consumer attitude-behaviour gap
01/11/2020 → 31/10/2023
Research
Plastic Packaging in Peoples' Lives (PPiPL): Bridging the consumer attitude-behaviour gap
01/11/2020 → 31/10/2023
Research
CCI Roundtable Session on Subcultures of TikTok
Public Lecture/ Debate/Seminar
CCI Roundtable Session on Halloween: History, Lore, & Consumption (2022)
Public Lecture/ Debate/Seminar
Plastic Packaging in People’s Lives: Perspectives on the Consumer Attitude-Behaviour Gap
Oral presentation
Plastic Packaging in People’s Lives: Perspectives on the Consumer Attitude-Behaviour Gap
Invited talk
Plastic packaging in People's Lives (PPiPL): From farm to fork and beyond?
Invited talk
PPiPL: Valuing the afterlives of materials
Invited talk
Plastic Packaging in People’s Lives: Reflections on Engaged Academic Research
Invited talk
LUMS What Matters Now
Other
CCI Roundtable Session on Technoconsumption and Artificial Intelligence
Public Lecture/ Debate/Seminar
Morecambe Bay Curriculum
Oral presentation
CCI Roundtable Session on Halloween: History, Lore, & Consumption
Public Lecture/ Debate/Seminar
Responsibility and Plastic Packaging: Exploring the issues for the packaging supply chain
Participation in workshop, seminar, course
Standing Conference on Organizational Symbolism
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience
BSA Medical Sociology 50th Anniversary Conference
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience
13th Consumer Culture Theory Conference
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience
Keynote Speaker: "Producing compelling & noteworthy work for International Conferences"
Invited talk
Somatising Consumer Subjectivity
Invited talk
Rolling Back the Civilising Process
Invited talk
Health, Risk and Society (Journal)
Publication peer-review
EIASM 9th Workshop on Interpretive Consumer Research
Participation in workshop, seminar, course
Interpretive Consumer Research Conference
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience
Between the Screen and the Plate: Engaging with the Narratives That TV Food Documentaries use to “move” Consumers
Invited talk
Consumer Culture Theory Conference
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience
Macromarketing Conference
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience
11th Consumer Culture Theory Conference
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience
Consumption, Markets and Culture (Journal)
Editorial activity
Sociology of Health and Illness (Journal)
Publication peer-review
8th Workshop on Interpretive Consumer Research
Participation in workshop, seminar, course
Interpretive Consumer Research Conference
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience
Consumer Culture Theory Conference
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience
Consumer Culture Theory conference 2012
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience
Staff Awards: Highly Commended (Teaching)
Prize (including medals and awards)
LUMS Deans Awards: Teacher of the Year
Prize (including medals and awards)
Best Competitive Paper Award
Prize (including medals and awards)
Centre for Consumption Insights
Centre for Consumption Insights
- Centre for Consumption Insights
- Networks, Knowledge and Strategy