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Swatch fever: An allegory for understanding the paradox of collecting
Author(s) -
Long Mary M.,
Schiffman Leon G.
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
psychology and marketing
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.035
H-Index - 116
eISSN - 1520-6793
pISSN - 0742-6046
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1520-6793(199708)14:5<495::aid-mar4>3.0.co;2-3
Subject(s) - allegory , phenomenon , irrational number , order (exchange) , psychology , social psychology , epistemology , psychoanalysis , literature , philosophy , art , business , geometry , finance , mathematics
The rise of the phenomenon referred to as “Swatch Fever,”collectors' seemingly insatiable desire for Swatch watches duringthe late 1980s to early 1990s, can be considered an allegory for collectingbehavior in general. Using the dynamic progression of Swatch Fever,this article explores what motivates consumers to engage in collectingbehavior. Based on this analysis as well as the current literature on collecting,the authors examine the paradoxical nature of collecting in order to addto the understanding of collecting as a phenomenon that is both rationaland irrational, deliberate and uncontrollable, cooperative and competitive,passive and aggressive, and tension producing and tension reducing. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.