"Branding Craft: Historical Uses of 'Craft' in Marketing Discourses"

In response to the rise of the knowledge economy, digital technologies, and artificial intelligence, craft has been increasingly celebrated as a human-centered alternative to industrial and digital work. Management studies (e.g. Kroezen et al., 2021; Bell et al., 2021) have framed craft as a meaningful, sustainable, and socially responsible practice, capable of addressing global challenges and fostering identity, community, and transformation. Yet, what this literature tends to overlook is that such enthusiasm often results in a romanticized and idealized image of craft, producing a past-oriented and nostalgic imaginary of what craft can no longer be, while it is nevertheless co-opted by capitalism. In marketing, this contradiction becomes evident in what can be described as “craftwashing”: the strategic use of the “craft” label to brand products as handmade and authentic, while they are in fact mass-produced.
This paper adopts a historical perspective to critically examine the evolution of craft rhetorics in marketing. By analyzing representations of craftsmanship in advertisements and trade catalogues, it investigates how the notion of “craft” has been branded and mobilized in the American context of industrialization. The empirical study draws on archival research on two U.S. companies operating in the fields of watchmaking and silverware from 1830s to 1930s, exploring how they have used labels and narratives associated with craft over time.
By tracing the shifting meanings and uses of craft in marketing discourse, the paper contributes to business history and craft research in two ways: first, it historicizes the use of “craft” as a commercial and symbolic resource; second, it connects the revival of craft rhetoric to the rise and fall of mass marketing (Tedlow & Jones, 1993).