How Consumers’ Political Ideology and Status-Maintenance Goals Interact to Shape Their Desire for Luxury Goods

2018 ◽  
Vol 82 (6) ◽  
pp. 132-149 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeehye Christine Kim ◽  
Brian Park ◽  
David Dubois
Keyword(s):  
Semantic Priming ◽  
Political Ideology ◽  
Social Stability ◽  
Sociodemographic Characteristics ◽  
Luxury Brands ◽  
Luxury Consumption ◽  
Luxury Goods ◽  
Conservative Ideology ◽  
The Status ◽  
Maintenance Goals

This research distinguishes between the goal of maintaining status and advancing status and investigates how consumers’ political ideology triggers sensitivity to a status-maintenance (vs. status-advancement) goal, subsequently altering luxury consumption. Because conservative political ideology increases the preference for social stability, the authors propose that conservatives (vs. liberals) are more sensitive to status maintenance (but not status advancement) and thus exhibit a greater desire for luxury goods when the status-maintenance goal is activated. Six studies assessing status maintenance using sociodemographic characteristics (Studies 1, 2, and 3a) and controlled manipulations, including ad framing (Study 3b) and semantic priming (Studies 4 and 5), provide support for this proposition. The studies show that the effect is specific to status maintenance and does not occur (1) in the absence of a status goal or (2) when the status-advancement goal (a focus on increasing status) is activated. Overall, the findings reveal that conservatives’ desire for luxury goods stems from the goal of maintaining status and offer insights into how luxury brands can effectively tailor their communications to audiences with a conservative ideology.

Inconspicuous Luxury Consumption

2021 ◽  
pp. 65-85
Author(s):  
Aslı Tolunay Kuşçu
Keyword(s):  
Theoretical Framework ◽  
Value Proposition ◽  
Luxury Brands ◽  
Luxury Consumption ◽  
Luxury Goods ◽  
Economic Changes ◽  
Luxury Brand ◽  
Complex Development ◽  
Managerial Implications ◽  
Luxury Products

With luxury consumption still growing fast despite various challenges such as increasing competition, rise in rental luxuries, and in counterfeits, luxury brands are challenged with an additional and complex development: consumers' interest towards inconspicuous luxury products. Being one of the major characteristics of luxury goods, conspicuousness is losing its value among some luxury shoppers necessitating a new definition for luxury and a new value proposition for luxury brands. This chapter initially provides a review on luxury and on the different motivations that determine luxury consumption. Next, socio-economic changes that trigger the shift from conspicuous to inconspicuous luxury consumption is examined briefly. And finally, a discussion on why inconspicuous consumption is valued by consumers is followed by a theoretical framework on the motivations for inconspicuous luxury brand usage. The chapter then concludes with theoretical and managerial implications.

scholarly journals The Object and Art of Luxury Consumption

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mike Featherstone
Keyword(s):  
Luxury Brands ◽  
Luxury Consumption ◽  
Luxury Goods ◽  
Artistic Production ◽  
Art Objects ◽  
Luxury Market ◽  
The Prestige

This chapter looks at two dynamics of luxury — the ‘democratisation’ of luxury, which occurs when such goods are made more widely available; and the rebranding of luxury goods as art objects, which emphasize their value in how unique and exclusive they are. The expansion of the luxury market and the more general ‘democratisation of luxury’ not only means that luxuries are everywhere, it also creates pressures to develop even more exclusive goods, stimulating ultra-luxury brands and the bespoke luxury market. Moreover, if it is possible for the luxury house to appropriate the aura of the artist and artistic production, then the prestige of their goods will necessarily rise. In exploring these tensions, the chapter looks at the broader issues of access to luxuries, the sustainability of their production, their just distribution, and the possibility of a space beyond.

Pre-loved luxury: identifying the meanings of second-hand luxury possessions

2015 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda Lisa Maria Turunen ◽  
Hanna Leipämaa-Leskinen
Keyword(s):  
Luxury Brands ◽  
Luxury Consumption ◽  
Luxury Goods ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Luxury Brand ◽  
Reputational Risk ◽  
Brand Marketing ◽  
Managerial Implications ◽  
Symbolic Value ◽  
Risk Investment

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to shed light on the consumption of second-hand luxury brands, identifying the meanings attached to second-hand luxury possessions in the context of fashion and, specifically, in the case of luxury accessories. Prior discussions of luxury consumption and marketing have focused on brand-new luxury goods, thus largely neglecting the emergence of markets for used luxury products. Design/methodology/approach – The empirical data for this study were generated through interviews with ten Finnish women and through fashion blogs concerning luxury goods that are bought second-hand. Findings – The findings show that second-hand luxury possessions are characterized by five different meaning themes: Sustainable Choice, Real Deal, Pre-loved Treasure, Risk Investment and Unique Find. The study highlights how consumers are able to achieve luxury experiences even without exclusive service, as the informants attached meanings of luxury to second-hand luxury possessions, especially with regard to the symbolic value and authenticity of the product. However, the meaning of authenticity appears to be a double-edged sword in this context, as consumers may also consider that they are taking a financial as well as reputational risk when acquiring a previously owned luxury item. Originality/value – This study brings forward novel viewpoints to discussions on luxury brand marketing by connecting the issue with the topical phenomenon of second-hand and luxury consumption. The study suggests important managerial implications for luxury brand marketers.

Do affluent customers care when luxury brands go mass?

2014 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 526-543 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wan Yang ◽  
Anna S. Mattila
Keyword(s):  
Attitude Change ◽  
Negative Attitude ◽  
Product Type ◽  
Luxury Brands ◽  
Annual Household Income ◽  
Luxury Consumption ◽  
Luxury Goods ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Joint Effects ◽  
Number Of Customers

Purpose – This paper aims to examine the joint effects of product type (hospitality services vs goods) and consumers’ need for status (low/Patricians vs high/Parvenus) on consumers’ attitude change toward their favorite luxury brands. As an ever increasing number of customers can now afford luxury products, it is important to understand how affluent consumers react to the less affluent mimicking behaviors. Design/methodology/approach – In all, 265 luxury consumers with annual household income of more than $100,000 and experiences of luxury consumption in the past three months were recruited. A 2 (product type) × 2 (need for status) factorial design was used to test the hypotheses. Findings – This study demonstrates that when faced with mimicking behaviors by less affluent consumers, Parvenus exhibit more negative attitude toward their favorite luxury goods brands than luxury hospitality brands. Conversely, Patricians exhibit similar levels of attitude change across the two types of luxury brands. Practical implications – The findings suggest that luxury hospitality companies may find it easier to expand to less affluent markets than their luxury goods counterparts, in particular when the majority of target consumers are Parvenus. Originality/value – To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to examine consumers’ reactions to mimicking behaviors by the less affluent in the context of luxury hospitality services, and it adds to the knowledge on the joint effects of product type and status seeking on luxury consumption.

Conspicuous consumption of luxury experiences: an experimental investigation of status perceptions on social media

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolin Siepmann ◽  
Lisa Carola Holthoff ◽  
Pascal Kowalczuk
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Personal Characteristics ◽  
Conspicuous Consumption ◽  
Individual Characteristics ◽  
Luxury Goods ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Status ◽  
Self Actualization ◽  
The Individual ◽  
High Level

Purpose As luxury goods are losing their importance for demonstrating status, wealth or power to others, individuals are searching for alternative status symbols. Recently, individuals have increasingly used conspicuous consumption and displays of experiences on social media to obtain affirmation. This study aims to analyze the effects of luxury and nonluxury experiences, as well as traditional luxury goods on status- and nonstatus-related dimensions. Design/methodology/approach After presenting the theoretical foundation, the authors conduct a study with 599 participants to compare status perceptions elicited by the conspicuous consumption of luxury goods, luxury experiences and nonluxury experiences. The authors investigate whether experiences that are visibly consumed on Instagram are replacing traditional luxury goods as the most important status symbols. Furthermore, the authors examine the effects of the content shown on nonstatus-related dimensions and analyze whether status perceptions differ between female and male social media communicators. Finally, the authors analyze how personal characteristics (self-esteem, self-actualization and materialism) influence the status perceptions of others on social media. Findings The results show that luxury goods are still the most important means of displaying status. However, especially for women, luxury experiences are also associated with a high level of social status. Thus, the results imply important gender differences in the perceptions of status- and nonstatus-related dimensions. Furthermore, the findings indicate that, in particular, the individual characteristics of self-actualization and materialism affect status perceptions depending on the posted content. Originality/value While the research has already considered some alternative forms of conspicuous consumption, little attention has been given to experiences as status symbols. However, with their growing importance as substitutes for luxury goods and the rise of social media, the desire to conspicuously consume experiences is increasing. The authors address this gap in the literature by focusing on the conspicuous display of luxury and nonluxury experiences on social media.

scholarly journals A Decade of System Justification Theory: Accumulated Evidence of Conscious and Unconscious Bolstering of the Status Quo

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Jost ◽  
Mahzarin R. Banaji ◽  
Brian A. Nosek
Keyword(s):  
Social Order ◽  
Political Ideology ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Status Quo ◽  
System Justification ◽  
Ingroup Bias ◽  
System Justification Theory ◽  
Disadvantaged Groups ◽  
The Status ◽  
Outgroup Favoritism

Most theories in social and political psychology stress self-interest, intergroup conflict, ethnocentrism, homophily, ingroup bias, outgroup antipathy, dominance, and resistance. System justification theory is influenced by these perspectives—including social identity and social dominance theories—but it departs from them in several respects. Specifically, we argue that (a) there is a general ideological motive to justify the existing social order, (b) this motive is at least partially responsible for the internalization of inferiority among members of disadvantaged groups, and (c) paradoxically, it is sometimes strongest among those who are most harmed by the status quo. In this article, we review and integrate 10 years of research on 20 hypotheses derived from a system justification perspective, focusing especially on the phenomenon of implicit outgroup favoritism among members of disadvantaged groups (including African Americans, the elderly, and gays/lesbians) and its relation to political ideology (especially liberalism-conservatism).

Luxury in China

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qing Wang
Keyword(s):  
Emerging Economies ◽  
Chinese Culture ◽  
Luxury Brands ◽  
Cultural Narratives ◽  
Luxury Consumption ◽  
Major Market ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Depth Analysis ◽  
Different Cultures ◽  
The Impact

Luxury brands embody strong cultural narratives to express their authentic value and to make them more desirable. With globalisation and the democratisation of luxury, the nature of luxury consumption is changing. Emerging economies such as China have become not only the major market but a source of design inspiration for luxury brands. This chapter provides a systematic review of luxury brands in China in three distinct stages, followed by an in-depth analysis of the nature of luxury consumption in China and the transportation mechanism of brand narratives to different cultures. It concludes with several important findings and indicates that good storytelling provides an anchor for a brand’s esteem both at home and abroad. Instead of merely communicating the cultural narratives of their Western origin, luxury brands need to identify with Chinese culture in all elements of their business, from product design to brand communication. Finally, this chapter explores the impact of the global pandemic on luxury brands in China.

Affordable luxury consumption: an emerging market's perspective

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shadma Shahid ◽  
Jamid Ul Islam ◽  
Rahela Farooqi ◽  
George Thomas
Keyword(s):  
Psychological Factors ◽  
Purchase Intention ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Emerging Market ◽  
Consumer Attitude ◽  
Luxury Brands ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Luxury Consumption ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Need For Uniqueness

PurposeThis study aims to focus on proposing and empirically validating a model that captures certain critical socio-psychological factors that nurture consumers' attitude towards affordable luxury brands in an emerging market context of India.Design/methodology/approachThe data were collected via a cross-sectional questionnaire survey from 491 customers of different fashion accessory luxury products in India. The data were analyzed through structural equation modelling (SEM) using AMOS 23.0 SEM software.FindingsThe findings of this study reveal that conspicuousness, status consumption, brand name consciousness, need for uniqueness and hedonism positively affect consumer attitude towards affordable luxury, which consequently affects consumers' purchase intention. The findings further reveal that age acts as a moderator in driving consumers' neo-luxury consumption.Originality/valueBy uniting various socio-psychological factors with consumer attitude and purchase intention in a conceptual model, along with studying the moderating role of age, this study responds to the calls for further research regarding affordable luxury and offers a more granular understanding of specific consumer motivations that guide Indian consumers' affordable luxury consumption.

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