Social Status and Product Perceptions: A Social Identity Perspective on Information Processing and Product Evaluation

Consumers use social status to learn about and evaluate value-expressive products. This thesis examines how consumers respond to products that convey status connotations. Drawing on previous research from social psychology, sociology and consumer behavior, this dissertation explores product perceptions in the context of differing social positions, and product-status levels. The research question here is whether matches or mismatches between one's social identity and a product that connotes status lead to different types of processing and evaluations. Consumers who carry peripheral class membership are predicted to engage in a different type of processing of product information than those who see themselves as more central members of a particular social class. Effects of social class membership are also studied. The moderating role of variables such as probability of future use is also examined. Theoretical implications for marketing research include an understanding of important determinants of product perceptions and evaluations relating to status connotations. Managerial implications include improved positioning strategies through an understanding of the influence of status connotations on the processing of product information.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Business Administration

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2015

Author dc:creator

• Harris, James Edwin

Contributors dc:contributor

• Viswanathan, Madhubalan

• Business Administration, Marketing

Language dc:language

eng

Identifier

(MiAaPQ)AAI3044106

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/84515