Hometown ideology and retailer legitimation: The institutional semiotics of Wal-Mart flyers

Abstract

Institutional semiotics revealed a myriad of meanings in a Wal-Mart advertising flyer. Beyond a promise of deep savings on a wide assortment of merchandise, the text and illustrations in the flyer reflect a rich blend of family, community and national norms. This environmental isomorphism simulates a subtly utopian, nostalgic hometown, a place rich in American mythology where citizens achieve a balance between economic and moral pursuits. In this context, the world's largest retailer is experienced as the neighborly, small town shopkeeper, thereby legitimating itself among its consumer constituency.