Exploring the Drivers of Status Consumption for the Wedding Occasion

Abstract

The study investigates the antecedents of status consumption pertaining to the wedding, which is considered to be one of the most celebrated events in a person's life. The article explores the interrelationship between the dimensions of lifestyle and brand consciousness, and the constructs related to conspicuous consumption, status consumption and self-expression. The results validate that consumers are stimulated to impetuously purchase branded products with an intention to flaunt their possessions in their social circle, to signal wealth and status. Furthermore, consumers purchase ostentatious products to gain affirmation from their social groups and hierarchy. The study facilitates marketers in framing their marketing and communication strategies to succeed in the marketplace, thus attracting customers to purchase status products for weddings.

Conspicuous Consumption and its Relation to Brand Consciousness, Status Consumption and Self-Expression

“…Consumers acquire brands that are associated with wealth and status, and provide a selfimage distinct from themselves. Social conformity implies action in accordance with the expectations of the group or the surpassing of them, including brands that receive symbolism valued in the group (Mann & Sahni, 2015).…”

“…Self-expression encompasses signals to others of an external identity and personal preferences. It is used as a vehicle to convey the supremacy of personal uniqueness and social groups through the purchase of branded products (Mann & Sahni, 2015). The purchase of high quality products, high prices and sufficiently positive social effects are revealed as the target of the desire of those who express themselves strongly for the products they acquire, even if the literature does not make a significant correlation of this phenomenon with social class (Amaldoss & Jain, 2005).…”

“…Thus, we should mention that the article proposes to bring a theoretical contribution to the understanding of the concept of conspicuous consumption by testing the establishment of interlocutions, in the form of antecedents and consequent, with the constructs already mentioned. For this purpose, when searching the literature, we come to the model proposed by Mann and Sahni (2015) that sought to establish these relationships. This model suggests the existence of four fundamental dimensions in the explanation of conspicuous consumption, setting the discussion under the aegis of Lifestyle, Brand Consciousness (antecedents), Consumption of Status and Selfexpression (consequential).…”

“…It should be mentioned that both concepts are central to the study of consumption and to understand the relation between them can be revealing to the understanding of fundamental issues linked to consumer society. Although it is important to emphasize that the paper intends to go beyond the replication of the model proposed by Mann and Sahni (2015), one cannot fail to mention that, in such different cultural contexts, the mere replication of a model would serve to provide insights and issues that would motivate interesting discussions on the issues involved. Second, although there are studies that discuss the concepts of conspicuous consumption mainly in a historical perspective (McCracken, 1987;Mason, 2002), the paper seeks to fill a gap in consumer literature regarding the better understanding of consumption conspicuous with its antecedents and consequent in a particular cultural context.…”

Environmental Psychology and Product Design

“…Referring to this author, self-acceptance is related to the confidence that each character embodies and can be affected by consumer decision on where to buy and what to buy, where the design of the product and the space where the product is sold become tangible indicators of the consumer's personal character. On the other hand, buying products so to impress others and to gain social standing is know as "conspicuous consumption" and is not related to the product or design benefits you get from using the product, but is related to being noticed, gaining admiration and affirming owners position in the social hierarchy (Mann & Sahni, 2014). At the end we can say that the association of symbolic design to social acceptance is related to consumption of similar products that are used by the social groups to which the person belongs, so the individual can confirm its similar position in the social hierarchy (Burt, 1982).…”