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Brand jealousy and willingness to pay premium: The mediating role of materialism

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Abstract

In recent years, there has been an emerging literature with regard to brand jealousy and its impact on consumer–brand interactions. This research attempts to explain how brand jealousy influences the motivation of consumers to pay premium prices to specific brands as a means of self-expression theory and social exclusion theory which emphasize the role of social anxiety in explaining the individuals’ behaviors on their purchasing decision-making process. Therefore, the aim of the paper is to examine the mediating role of the materialism on the relationship between brand jealousy and willingness to pay premium. A questionnaire-based quantitative approach is applied to analyze the conceptual model that outlines the relationships between brand jealousy, materialism, and willingness to pay premium through structural equation modeling. The findings of this research reveal that brand jealousy and materialism both have a positive influence on willingness to pay premium. Also, this study provides empirical evidence for the full mediation impact of materialism on the relationship between brand jealousy and willingness to pay premium. The results also ensure applicable insights for marketing practitioners to motivate customers pay premium prices to specific brands by evoking jealousy-inducing strategies and materialistic values in their marketing communication programs.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of International Business and Trade, Faculty of Business, Dokuz Eylül University, Izmir, Turkey

    Nilay Bıçakcıoğlu

  2. Department of Business Administration, Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Afyon Kocatepe University, Afyonkarahisar, Turkey

    İlkin Yaran Ögel

  3. Department of Business Administration, Business Faculty, Dokuz Eylül University, Izmir, Turkey

    Burcu İlter

Authors
  1. Nilay Bıçakcıoğlu
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  2. İlkin Yaran Ögel
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  3. Burcu İlter
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Nilay Bıçakcıoğlu.

Appendices

Appendix A: Chosen desired brands of respondents in the questionnaire form

Product categories

Chosen desired brand names

Electronics

*Smart phones

Iphone, Samsung, LG

*Laptops

Apple, Samsung, Allienware, MSI, Sony, HP, Asus, Monster, Casper

*Game console

Play Station, Nintendo, Xbox

*Electronic equipment

Razer, Steelseries, Nvidia, Beats, Hoverboard, Fender, Roland, Toshiba, Philips

*Camera

Sony, Canon, Fuji

Apparels

*Clothes

Dolce&Gabbana, Lacoste, Zara, Marks&Spencer, H&M, Mango, Nike

*Underwear

US Polo Assn., Mavi, Colins, Pull&Bear

*Sunglasses

Victoria Secret, Calvin Klein, Lidyana, Rayban

*Shoes and trainers

Christian Louboutin, Nike, Adidas, New Balance, Puma

*Bags

Louis Vuitton, Kanken

*Watch

Calvin Klein, Rolex, Versace, Hublot, Daniel Klein

Cosmetics and perfume

MAC, Avon, Chanel, Lancome, Sephora

Vehicles

*Cars

BMW, Mercedes, Audi, Ferrari, Range Rover, Porsche, Mini Cooper, Honda, Chevrolet

*Motorcycles

Vespa, Harley Davidson, Yamaha

Appendix B: Survey items

Constructs

Operationalization

Source

Brand jealousy

*I feel really hurt when I see that others are using the brand and I don’t have it

*I feel very possessive about the brand when I see that others are using the brand and I don’t have it

*The thought that others are using the brand and I don’t have it always haunts me

Sarkar and Sreejesh (2014)

Materialism

* I’d rather spend time buying things, than doing almost anything else

* I would be happier if I had more money to buy more things for myself

* I have fun just thinking of all the things I own

* I really enjoy going shopping

* I like to buy things my friends have

* When you grow up, the more money you have, the happier you are

* I’d rather not share my snacks with others if it means I’ll have less for myself

* I would love to be able to buy things that cost lots of money

* I really like the kids that have very special games or clothes

* The only kind of job I want when I grow up is one that gets me a lot of money

Goldberg et al (2003)

Willingness to pay premium

*I would prefer this brand even if its price is higher than average price of other brands in this product category

*I would volunteer to pay more for this brand

Thomson et al (2005)

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Bıçakcıoğlu, N., Ögel, İ.Y. & İlter, B. Brand jealousy and willingness to pay premium: The mediating role of materialism. J Brand Manag 24, 33–48 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41262-016-0016-2

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