From beyond the testimony, the example: The counter-gifting of consumption at the UCKG.

Abstract

Grounded on the maussian thought that social interactions are crossed by the circulation of symbolic values, people and objects, an essential dynamic for the construction and maintenance of social bonds, this article focuses on advertising and marketing arguments related to products developed, promoted and comercialized by Arca Center of Igreja Universal do Reino de Deus. In addition to problematizing aspects linked to the notion of gifting, the conclusions indicate the fact that, by adquiring, consuming and displaying such products in the communities where they operate within the Universal Church, consumers are raised to "exemplary" status, through the counter-gifting that implies the recognition of their exemplary position. Thus, such individuals embody the ideal established in the arguments and promises conveyed by the products, fufilling the role of reflections of this exemplarity.