1,720,965 research outputs found
The effects of masstige on loss of scarcity and behavioral intentions for traditional luxury consumers
No full textAn increasing middle-class segment, eager to trade up in product qualities and consumption behavior, is causing a paradigmatic change in how traditional luxury consumers ascribe value to luxury brands. Guided by commodity theory, we develop three experiments where we show that masstige branding (vs non-masstige) leads to reduced behavioral intentions for traditional luxury consumers (Study 1) both for public (Studies 1 and 2) and for private goods (Study 3). These effects are mediated by loss of scarcity of the brand (Studies 2 and 3). Finally, we also examine a boundary condition, self-brand connection (Study 3), and show that high self-brand connection can help mitigate the negative effects of loss of scarcity on traditional consumers’ behavioral intentions. Overall, this study significantly extends research on masstige and luxury branding and offers important implications. For instance, high self-brand connection leads to a greater likelihood of purchasing masstige brands among traditional luxury consumers.</p
When luxury loses its luster: how democratization affects traditional luxury consumers
No full textLuxury brands have traditionally embodied exclusivity and status, yet increasing accessibility is transforming consumers' perceptions. This trend, driven by the rapid democratization of luxury goods, is causing a paradigm shift in how traditional luxury consumers ascribe value to luxury brands. While these strategies may boost short-term sales, they risk eroding brand positioning and alienating core consumers. Will traditional luxury consumers wear democratized brands with pride as accessibility and availability increase? Will they continue purchasing democratized luxury used by lower-status consumers? Guided by network effects theory, we show across four mixed-methods studies that democratization reduces purchase intentions—particularly when low-status consumers adopt the brand—and increases abandonment intentions. This study advances luxury branding literature by identifying democratization as a novel negative network externality influencing luxury consumption. We reveal consumer's pride of ownership as a psychological mediator which diminishes when democratization erodes exclusivity. Further, we establish boundary conditions by revealing how status-based consumption and rarity principles influence consumer responses and can moderate democratization's effects on purchase and abandonment intentions. Managerially, our findings will help brands to counteract democratization's potential risks through status and rarity-driven campaigns, such as scarcity-based strategies, limited editions or premium-tier differentiation
Intra and inter-country comparative effects of symbolic motivations on luxury purchase intentions in emerging markets
No full textEmerging markets, and especially lower-tier cities within these markets, are seen as the future growth engines for luxury brands. However, extant literature on the drivers of luxury consumption has predominantly focused on Tier-1 cities. Grounded in the theory of network effects, this study offers first such intra and inter-country comparison of the symbolic motivations (i.e. snob, bandwagon and Veblen motivations) underpinning luxury purchases between and within Tier-1 and lower-tier cities in two prominent emerging markets, China and India. The findings offer first account of similarities and differences in consumer motivations that drive luxury consumption within and between these markets. While most luxury brands have ubiquitous strategies for emerging markets, the results will assist managers in developing distinctive brand strategies catering to the intra and inter-country differences.<br/
When luxury democratizes: exploring the effects of luxury democratization, hedonic value and instrumental self-presentation on traditional luxury consumers’ behavioral intentions
No full textWhile traditional luxury consumers remain an important market segment, the upsurge of affluent aspirational middle class has led to luxury democratization creating a significant shift in the marketplace. However, academic research on the effects of luxury democratization is practically non-existent. Integrating the theories of network effects and impression management, we conceptualize and offer empirical support for the negative network effects of democratization on traditional luxury consumers’ purchase intentions. In study 1, survey data involving 202 traditional Spanish luxury consumers analyzed using SEM and PROCESS and in study 2 an experiment with 205 UK participants, we demonstrate the underlying mechanism of hedonic value that drives the negative effect of democratization. The results also show an important boundary condition through instrumental self-presentation. The study further contributes by developing items to measure luxury democratization. This research shows how luxury firms can develop better positioning strategies for managing the luxury democratization challenge
When endorsers behave badly: consumer self-expression and negative meaning transfer
No full textHow do consumers adjust their public and private self-expression through a brand when an endorser attached to the brand gets involved in a scandal? Building on the theory of meaning transfer and congruity theory, the authors propose and demonstrate that in contrast to the extant literature, negative meaning transfer prevails over the high self-brand congruity barriers that managers attempt to build by employing endorsers to transfer positive meanings to their brands. Using three pre-studies and three experiments involving fictitious and real-life celebrities, the authors demonstrate that the effect of negative meaning transfer on consumers’ self-expression in public and private domain and brand attitude becomes more prominent with increasing self-brand congruity and endorser-self congruity. Additionally, negative meaning transfer becomes more pronounced for a celebrity endorser compared to an expert and a celebrity-expert combined endorser. The findings offer novel implications for endorser selection and meaning transfer for marketing campaigns and brand management. Supplemental data for this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/02650487.2021.2016267.</p
Is luxury democratization impactful? Its moderating effect between value perceptions and consumer purchase intentions
No full textLuxury goods, once exclusive to the elite of the society, are now available to a markedly large customer segment, mainly due to the process of democratization. However, academic scrutiny on the influence of democratization on luxury consumption is lacking. This research aims to fill this crucial gap in the extant body of knowledge by offering a unified conceptualization of the construct - democratization of luxury. The study operationalizes this pivotal construct followed by empirical evidence on how democratization has a moderating impact on the relationship between different luxury value perceptions and luxury purchase intentions. This first academic empirical exploration on luxury democratization provides several theoretical advancements and aims to assist luxury brands in developing a coherent long-term positioning strategy to manage this unique challenge
Systematic literature review online gaming addiction among children and young adults: a framework and research agenda
No full textOnline gaming addiction refers to a persistent and recurrent use of internet to engage in games leading to significant impairment or distress in a person's life. With the current pandemic, media reports suggest that the greater access of online devices among children and young adults has intensified online gaming addiction. However, the domain of online gaming addiction is a relatively new phenomenon with disparate studies examining various facets of it. Hence, the purpose of this research is to analyze the existing literature in order to identify the emerging trends in this area and to provide a systematic review that can be used as guidance for future research in this emerging field. Starting from the gaps that this review highlights, the proposed directions will help scholars find issues and gaps not sufficiently explored that can constitute the bases for further research pathways.</p
Should global brands engage in brand activism?
No full textBrand activism, taking a stance on current and divisive sociopolitical issues, has emerged as a novel means of expressing a brand's values and engaging with the firm's customer base. Yet, globally, companies lack conclusive guidance on the consequences of taking a stance. This research asks a novel question: Should global brands engage in activism? Using varying activism manipulations (e.g., statements and actions), five studies reveal consumer preference for activist global brands. More importantly, guided by schema change theory, the authors find that the positive brand activism effect is particularly strong for global brands associated with negative brand origin, irrespective of consumers’ prior attitude valence. However, brands with positive origin associations benefit from activism only when consumers’ prior attitude valence is in alignment. The authors also identify the mediating effects of self–brand connection, which has downstream consequences for behavioral intentions. Taken together, this work sheds new light on consumer perceptions of brand activism across cultures, elucidates why consumers prefer global brands that engage in activism, and offers actionable insights for global brand managers.</p
The impact of brand transgression on consumer choice: the role of moral identity
No full textPurpose: this study aims to test consumer responses to brand transgressions from the novel angle of morality. It adopts a relational perspective while distinguishing between performance-related and performance-unrelated transgressions.Design/methodology/approach: three online experiments (n = 611) reveal how brand transgressions and moral identity affect consumer choice. Study 1 examines the interaction effects of brand transgression and moral identity. Study 2 explores how performance-related versus performance-unrelated brand transgressions interact with moral identity in influencing consumer choice. Study 3 investigates how relationship loss mediates these effects, with behavioral intentions as outcomes.Findings: the results shed light on negative behavioral reactions to transgressing brands and the underlying effect of perceived relationship loss in explaining this negative effect. This becomes more pronounced with increasing moral identity and is particularly salient for performance-unrelated transgressions.Originality/value: this research shows how different types of brand transgressions lead to differing consumer responses, grounded in relational loss. By integrating moral identity moderation, this study presents a nuanced perspective on how moral identity operates differently across transgression types
Tackling online gaming addiction among adolescents: the role of parental resilience and parenting styles: an abstract
No full textOnline gaming addiction is a globally pervasive challenge and a major health problem that is affecting the societal fabric (Basol and Kaya 2018). The prevalent rate of internet addiction varies from 12.6% to 67.5% globally (Kuss et al. 2021). Hence, interventions to tackle the problem of online gaming addiction is of utmost importance (Kuss et al. 2021). Therefore, the proposed study seeks to address the problem of online gaming addiction among adolescents (age 12–19 years) by adopting a novel resilience-based approach. This research study grapples with two important research objectives. Firstly, the research will examine the role of parental resilience in avoiding/reducing online gaming addiction and identify the types of resilience tactics that can control and/or reduce gaming addiction among adolescents. Secondly, using secondary data sources, we wish to examine the pervasiveness of online gaming addiction among the adolescents to demonstrate the acuteness of the problem and the challenge it poses for the present and the future of the society. The study will be divided into three phases (Secondary data-based review, qualitative exploration, and quantitative examination) followed by dissemination activities. So far, we have covered up phase 1 and Phase 2 of the study. Phase 1 – Secondary data-based review: The aim of this phase was to examine the current literature around online gaming addiction globally and identify the nature and pervasiveness of the problem. The review involved a study of 50 most cited papers in online gaming addiction domain within the last decade. Phase 2 – Qualitative exploration: The second phase of the study involved in-depth dyadic interviews with parents (n = 10) of adolescents in India. The interviews focused on the online gaming habits of children, parental interaction with their kids (parenting styles) and varying resilient behaviour observed among parents. We believe that our qualitative study makes an important contribution both theoretically and practically. Theoretically, it addresses a vast gap in the literature of online gaming addiction by showcasing parenting styles play an important role in controlling/reducing online gaming addiction among adolescents. Practically, the study has substantial implications for policy makers as well. Based on the findings of the study, policy makers can design interventions and training programmes that address the challenge of online gaming addiction through the aspects of resilience and parenting styles.</p
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