Judging a Book by its Cover: The Influence of Implicit Self‐Theories on Brand User Perceptions

Abstract

Do people judge others based on the brands they use? Prior research finds evidence to this effect, yet we argue this phenomenon is far from universal. Drawing on research on implicit self-theories, we find that only entity (but not incremental) theorists are prone to judging people based on their brand use (Studies 1 and 2). We show that entity theorists infer that people use brands to signal who they are to others, thereby forming perceptions of these people based on the personality of the brands they use, but incremental theorists are reluctant to make inferences about brand users' signaling motives (Studies 3, 4, and 5). When tendencies to make signaling inferences are reduced, entity theorists no longer judge people based on their brand use (Studies 3 and 4). Furthermore, even incremental theorists judge people based on their brand use when given the information that their brand use is not driven by situational forces, but is potentially driven by a signaling motivation (Study 5).

Can Implicit Theory Influence Construal Level?

“…Implicit theories account for a variety of differences in behavior exhibited by consumers. For example, entity‐theorists form strong brand‐attitudes more rapidly and with less cognitive elaboration than incremental‐theorists (Kwon & Nayakankuppam, ); entity‐theorists also form perceptions of people based on their brand use more readily than incremental‐theorists (Park & John, ). In contrast, incremental‐theorists are more susceptible to framing effects in advertising (Jain, Mathur, & Maheswaran, ) and are more accepting of brand extensions compared to entity‐theorists (Yorkston, Nunes, & Matta, ).…”

Children's Understanding of the Instrumental Value of Products and Brands

“…Consumer research with adults finds that products and brands are valued as a means for presenting and signaling aspects of one's identity to others. For example, products and brands can be used to signal one's status (Bellezza, Gino, & Keinan, 2013;Han, Nunes, & Dreze, 2010), one's personality (Park & John, 2010;Park & John 2018;Sirgy, 1982), and one's social affiliations and group membership (Escalas & Bettman, 2003;Wooten, 2006).…”

How Intensity of Cause-Related Marketing Guilt Appeals Influences Consumers

“…Prior studies, for example, show differential impact of users (past and present) and non-users on brand image (Romaniuk, Bogomolova, and Dall'Olmo Riley, 2012), as well as advertising awareness measures (Vaughan et al, 2016). Further, recent consumer research distinguishes between degrees of brand usage, whether direct (e.g., driving a Mercedes Benz car) or peripheral brand usage (e.g., reading about Mercedes Benz car) (Park and John, 2018). Future research could examine whether the effects of high and low intensity guilt appeals vary between brand users and non-users, as well as between well-known or lesser-known advertisements.…”