"Conspicuous consumption in the context of consumer animosity". Issue 3 (14th May 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Abraham, Villy; Reitman, Abraham
• Is Part Of: International marketing review. Volume 35:Issue 3(2018)
• Page Start: 412
• Page End: 428
• Publication Date: 2018-05-14
• Subjects: Conspicuous consumption -- Willingness to buy -- Consumer animosity -- Susceptibility to normative influence; Export marketing -- Periodicals; Export marketing -- Developing countries -- Periodicals; 658.84805
• DOI: 10.1108/IMR-03-2015-0051
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0265-1335

Abstract

Abstract : Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the effects of consumer animosity on conspicuous consumption in two research settings: Israel and Russia. The study also examines: the relationship between susceptibility to norm influence (SNI) and consumer animosity, whether SNI affects consumers' willingness to buy (WTB) products from a country toward which they harbor animosity, and the relationship between consumer animosity and WTB in contexts differing in the level of animosity harbored toward a target country. Design/methodology/approach: To probe generalizability, the hypothesized model was tested in two different contexts: Study 1 was conducted in Israel using the context of the Holocaust and Study 2 was conducted in Russia using the context of the recent political discord with the USA. A convenience sample of Israeli-Jewish ( n =264) and Russian ( n =259) consumers yielded a total of 523 questionnaires. Findings: In both contexts, the results from the SPSS and AMOS analyses indicated a negative and significant relationship between consumer animosity and conspicuous consumption. Moreover, SNI was positively associated with consumer animosity. Finally, the study findings point to a negative association between consumer animosity and WTB, regardless of the level of animosity. Originality/value: The research findings suggest that consumer animosity may be a stronger predictor for the consumption of conspicuous products than for the consumption of necessity goods.