Understanding why people make certain purchase decisions is not only valuable knowledge for advocates, but also for businesses. On a macro level, researchers study what they call “marketplace sentiments,” which are the “shared emotional dispositions towards marketplace elements.” Marketplace sentiments can encompass everything from public outrage at corporate scandals to excitement about new product innovations. While marketplace sentiments play a major role in consumer research, however, there is relatively little data on how marketplace sentiments emerge or exert pressure on companies.

To attempt to rectify this, the research in this article examined the significance of the phenomenon in five steps: reviewing prior research, describing the research context of ethical consumerism, identifying sentiments of ethical consumerism, synthesizing findings into a theory, and discussing the implications. The sections that will be of most interest to animal advocates are those that outline the history of ethical consumerism and the ways that activists promote it. The authors suggest that ethical consumption originated due to the excesses of the 1980s. This is when companies such as Patagonia, The Body Shop, and Benetton began drawing links between buying power and social responsibility.

Since then, much advocacy has focused on the “hidden victims of capitalism, including animals, ecosystems, laborers, local communities, and future generations.” Apart from advocates, brands too have gotten in on the act, not only by convincing consumers that their product(s) are the better ethical choice, but also by giving positive feedback to consumers for making better choices. Overall, this research outlines how marketplace sentiments can have a real effect on the market. Of special interest to advocates, it shows “how activist sentiments can paradoxically benefit from brand co-optation.” Though the article is focused on academic study rather than advocacy outcomes, it contains lessons to be learned.