Culture and gender differences in values associated with luxury consumption are investigated. Two Western individualistic-oriented countries with mature luxury markets (France and the United States) and two Eastern collectivistic-oriented countries with developing luxury markets (the United Arab Emirates and China) are compared using a previously developed model of luxury values. Main results indicate that refinement, heritage, and, to a lesser extent, exclusivity receive greater emphasis in Western rather than Eastern countries. Chinese and U.S. consumers place particular emphasis on elitism. Additionally, gender shapes the importance placed on luxury values: men emphasize elitism (and exclusivity in Western countries only), whereas women emphasize refinement. Furthermore, adherence to own-gender beliefs (i.e., traits attributed to one's gender) fully mediates gender influence within all four countries. Theoretical implications are discussed based on major frameworks of national culture and the social structural theory. Managerial implications in terms of cultural and gendered adaptation of marketing strategies are considered.

Scarcity appeals in marketing have long captured the attention of scholars and practitioners, yet we know little about their effectiveness across different cultures. Drawing on cultural differences (i.e., self-concept, need for uniqueness, and susceptibility to normative influence), the authors investigate the impact of culture on the effectiveness of (demand- vs. supply-based) scarcity appeals. The authors also study the impact of product visibility while considering the moderating effect of culture on the effectiveness of scarcity appeals (demand- vs. supply-based). To do so, the authors conducted experimental research with participants from Pakistan and France. The authors find that (1) demand-based scarcity appeals were more effective than supply-based scarcity appeals in Eastern cultures, whereas the reverse was found in Western cultures; (2) such moderating role of culture was stronger for high-visibility products than for low-visibility products; and (3) the respective prevalence of interdependent (vs. independent) self-construal and its subsequent impact on susceptibility to normative influence and need for uniqueness mediated the moderating role of culture. The authors conclude by discussing the key theoretical contributions and managerial implications of these findings and suggesting future research directions.

Across four experiments, we explored how reminders of powerful external agents—interventionist Gods and reliable corporate institutions—influence people's motivation in the realm of financial goals. We found evidence that when people receive specific financial advice, they feel demotivated by the overwhelming flow of concrete instructions for achieving success. We found further that, under these circumstances specifically, reminders of interventionist agents bolster motivation, but that these same agents under different circumstances (i.e., when people receive vague advice) instead undermine motivation. Our findings shed light on the effects of specific (versus vague) goal focus, and on the dynamics of compensatory control in consumer settings.

People regularly set goals, but often fail to remain committed to them. In particular, people's commitment to their goals flags when their self-efficacy is low—when they doubt their ability to bring about their desired outcomes through their actions. We propose that when people feel low self-efficacy, reminders of external forces that ensure contingency in the world can help them restore their goal commitment. Moreover, we propose that one such external force is a powerful, interventionist God, and thus that reminders of a powerful God can help restore people's goal commitment when they feel low self-efficacy. In Study 1, we manipulated self-efficacy and measured religiosity. More religious people were more committed to their goals—a facilitating effect—but only when we had first made them feel low self-efficacy. In Study 2, we manipulated both self-efficacy and the salience of religious belief in a controlling vs. creating God. When we reminded participants of their beliefs in a controlling God, we again observed a facilitating effect when we also made them feel low in self-efficacy. Their beliefs in a creating God, in contrast, had no effect. In Study 3, we used a different experimental paradigm, and found additional support for the facilitating effect at low self-efficacy while providing evidence of mechanism.

We tested the influence of program-induced mood on advertising effectiveness at judgmental (product evaluation), conative (purchase intention), and behavioral levels. Study 1 used a 2 (Induced-mood: positive vs. neutral vs. negative)×2 (Brand attitude: favorable vs. unfavorable) design. Brand attitude had a stronger influence on product evaluation when mood was positive, compared to neutral or negative mood. Study 2 used a 2 (Induced mood: positive vs. negative)×2 (Brand attitude: favorable vs. unfavorable)×2 (Quality of product arguments: weaker vs. stronger) design. For positive mood conditions, evaluation and intent were influenced by brand attitude rather than by arguments quality, reflecting top-down processing. The reverse was found for negative mood conditions, reflecting bottom-up processing. Study 3 focused on stronger arguments only, and assessed whether participants attended the product launch event. Behavioral data revealed higher advertising effectiveness for negative mood conditions, because of higher elaboration of product information.

We investigate the role of gender in the perceptions of and motives for luxury brand consumption. Based on the social structural theory of gender, we propose that differences in men's and women's luxury values result from asymmetries in social status. We conduct three studies with samples of frequent luxury brand buyers. Study 1 (N=512) generates main values associated with luxury brand consumption. Study 2 (N=640) identifies a four-factor model of luxury brand values, including refinement, heritage, exclusivity, and elitism, and shows that women give more importance to refinement, while men give more importance to exclusivity and elitism. Study 3 (N=1024) demonstrates that public self-consciousness has a stronger positive influence on refinement for women rather than men. In contrast, consumer need for uniqueness and status consumption exert respectively a stronger positive influence on exclusivity and elitism for men rather than women.

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L’objectif de cette recherche est d’examiner les circonstances par lesquelles les croyances religieuses affectent la poursuite du but du consommateur. Malgré l’importance du phénomène pour le marketing, la recherche académique en comportement du consommateur n’a que partiellement exploré le rôle joué par la religion dans les décisions et comportements de l’individu. L’impact de la religiosité (définie comme le degré auquel une personne adhère à ses valeurs, croyances et pratiques religieuses et les met en œuvre dans la vie quotidienne) sur les comportements de consommation ne se limite pas au respect de rites et de croyances prescriptives. Sur la base de récents travaux en psychologie (voir en exemple Kay et al., 2008), nous développons l’idée que la religiosité constitue une ressource mobilisée pour faire face aux exigences de l’environnement. Spécifiquement, nous montrons à travers deux études expérimentales que la religion remplit un besoin de contrôle pour le consommateur, de sorte que lorsqu’il se sent incapable de poursuivre un but par ses propres moyens (i.e., cas d’un sentiment de faible efficacité personnelle), activer la croyance en l’omnipotence de Dieu (ou d’une représentation spirituelle équivalente) accroît l’engagement envers ce but. L’explication avancée est qu’une forte religiosité permet aux individus de percevoir que les choses sont globalement sous contrôle, même si le soi n’est pas la source de contrôle, précisément parce que la croyance en une force surnaturelle, omnipotente et infaillible est plus forte. Cette hypothèse est d’abord testée dans une première étude qui manipule le sentiment d’efficacité personnelle (faible vs. élevée) vis-à-vis du but d’épargner pour la retraite, et mesure le niveau de religiosité. Le seconde étude vise à isoler l’impact de la croyance en un Dieu omnipotent et valide notre hypothèse en éliminant toute explication alternative liée par exemple à des effets de concomitance.

This research examines if, in the context of savings goals, the usual decrement in motivation that is observed when a goal is set with implementation concreteness, at its early stages, will dissipate when people are reminded of divine control.

Résumé La présente recherche étudie l’effet de halo d’une marque dans le cadre d’une stratégie d’extension de gamme. Les principaux résultats indiquent que la classification d’un produit dans une marque induit un transfert systématique des elements centraux de la représentation de la marque, alors que l’attribution des éléments périphériques dépend de la congruence entre la représentations de la marque et celle de la catégorie d’extension. En outre, cette congruence améliore la probabilité d’achat du produit marqué, du fait qu’elle contribue à en augmenter la valeur perçue. Ces résultats ainsi que leurs implications tant au niveau théorique qu’appliqué, sont discutés au regard de la théorie du noyau central et des modèles de la catégorization.

In an experiment, we manipulated numerical support (majority versus minority versus absence of support) for advertising commercials and examined its effects at both manifest and latent levels. Results indicated that commercials induce greater manifest influence when receiving majority support and greater latent influence under minority support. In a second study, minority support for commercials was held constant while the modality of comparison between source and target was manipulated (independence versus negative interdependence). Results revealed that latent influence occurs only when the social comparison is independent. These results and their implications for the conception of advertising campaigns are discussed with regard to the conversion theory and the dissociation process.

This study investigates the way that identity strategies affect the spreading of information. Participants (men vs. women) listened to a message that they had to transmit afterward to an individual of the same sex. Each communication chain comprised 3 participants. This message related a marital strife and manipulated the description of both protagonists (stereotypical vs. counterstereotypical gender traits description). The degree of responsibility attributed to each protagonist brings to light an in-group favouritism in the men’s group, whatever the description of the protagonists is. The same favouritism takes place in women’s group only in stereotypical conditions. These results are discussed on the basis of the subjective group dynamics.

The brand halo effect for vertical product line extensions is analyzed using the central nucleus theory. The empirical study is based on experimentation linked to six brands in the automotive sector. This research shows that central brand associations are transferred to the vertical product line extension regardless of range level-low, middle or high-end range-and that such transference systematically reinforces linkages between such associations and the product line extensions. In contrast, the transfer of peripheral associations appears to be range-dependent, increasing or decreasing linkages between such associations and the product line extension according to the range level considered.

L'effet de halo de la marque dans le contexte de l'extension de gamme verticale est étudié ici à partir de la théorie du noyau central. Le travail empirique s'appuie sur une expérimentation portant sur six marques du secteur automobile. Cette recherche montre que les associations centrales de la marque sont transférées vers le produit d'extension quel que soit le niveau de gamme (bas, milieu ou haut de gamme) et que ce transfert renforce systématiquement le lien entre le produit et ces associations. Par contraste, le transfert des associations périphériques est modéré par le niveau de gamme et peut soit renforcer, soit réduire le lien entre ces associations et le produit d'extension.

Résumé On propose une analyse des images de marque fondée sur la théorie des représentations sociales (représentations sociales). Notre conceptualisation pose que ces images dépendent de la représentations sociales qu’ont les individus du secteur d’activité concerné. L’étude présentée qui concerne l’automobile montre que la représentations sociales d’une « bonne voiture » s’organise autour de cinq principes : la Confiance, la Qualité, les considérations Économiques, l’Hédonisme et la Nouveauté, dont l’importance respective autorise une prédiction satisfaisante des images de marque de six constructeurs automobiles. En outre, il apparaît que cette représentations sociales médiatise les effets des variables socio-démographiques sur les images de marque. Ces résultats et leurs implications tant au niveau théorique qu’appliqué sont discutés à la lumière des théories du noyau central et des principes organisateurs.

Si les theories de l'elaboration du conflit (Perez & Mugny, 1993) et de l'auto-categorisation (Turner et al., 1987) s'accordent sur le fait que l'influence manifeste serait l'apanage des majorites endogroupes, elles emettent en revanche des hypotheses alternatives a propos de l'influence latente. En effet, une telle influence serait pour la premiere le fait des minorites exogroupes, et pour la seconde, celui des minorites endogroupes. On a confronte ces hypotheses alternatives dans une recherche qui manipulait le statut numerique ainsi que l'appartenance sociale de la source d'influence. En l'occurrence, les cibles etaient exposees a une majorite versus une minorite, soit de meme sexe qu'elles (source endogroupe), soit de sexe oppose (source exogroupe). Il apparait qu'au niveau manifeste, seule la majorite endogroupe induit du suivisme aupres des hommes, alors que chez les femmes, un tel suivisme prend place aussi bien face a la majorite exogroupe qu'endogroupe. Au niveau latent, seule la minorite exogroupe induit de l'influence aupres des femmes, alors que chez les hommes, une telle influence intervient aussi bien face a la minorite endogroupe qu'exogroupe. Ces deux theories ne peuvent expliquer que partiellement cet ensemble de resultats dont on propose une interpretation en termes de rapports de domination entre la source d'influence et les cibles.

Des etudiants universitaires (N= 131) devaient predire les resultats d’une pretendue etude scientifique sur des groupes d’amis dont les resultats s’averaient ensuite contredire leurs croyances initiales. Dans un plan factoriel 2x2, on a manipule le style du message delivre par la source, l’information contradictoire sur les resultats de l’etude etant formulee de maniere soit autoritaire, soit democratique. La seconde variable concernait la finalite de la recherche, censee porter soit sur la mesure du degre d’apprentissage, soit sur la mesure du degre de competence, avec des mesures de verification appropriees. La principale mesure concerne le degre auquel les sujets s’appropriaient l’information contredisant leurs croyances initiales. La manipulation relevant de la finalite ne produisant pas d’effet, les mesures agregees de reconnaissance de la diagnosticite des competences et de l’apprentissage ont ete utilisees post-hoc a titre de positionnement individuel des sujets sur cette dimension. Des analyses de regression montrent que plus les sujets considerent la tâche comme etant diagnostique de leur competence et de leur degre d’apprentissage, et plus ils s’approprient l’information provenant de la source. L’analyse met aussi en evidence l’interaction entre la diagnosticite percue de la tâche et le style de la source. La diagnositicite de la tâche est en fait liee a une appropriation uniquement lorsque la source est democratique.

Even if the conflict-elaboration (Perez & Mugny, 1993) and the Self-categorization Turner et al., 1987) theories agree that manifest influence is only produced by in-group majorities, they give rise to alternative predictions regarding the latent influence. Indeed, the former assumes that such an influence would be produced by out-group minorities whereas the latter asserts that it would be induced by in-group minorities. The present research manipulates the numerical status of the influence source as well as its social belonging in order to confront these predictions. Actually, targets were exposed to a majority versus a minority, either of the same sex (in-group source) or opposite sex (out-group source), Main results indicate that regarding the manifest level, only the in-group majority induces conformity among men, whereas among women, such a conformity takes place in the case of both in-group and out-group majorities. At the latent level, only the out-group minority produces conversion among women, whereas among men, such an influence occurs in the case of both in-group and out-group minorities. These result: which are apparently consistent with neither theories are discussed in terms of the dominance relation between the influence source and the targets.