 To be respected or liked: The influence of social comparisons on consumer preference for competence- versus warmth-oriented productsXiaoying Zheng, Jing Xu and Hao Shen International Journal of Research in Marketing, 2022, vol. 39, issue 1, 170-189 Abstract: Consumers frequently compare themselves with others and find themselves to be inferior or superior to the comparison targets. This article examines the effect of social comparisons on the relative focus of self-efficacy and relationship needs and the subsequent impact on consumers’ preference for competence- versus warmth-oriented products. Across six studies, we show that upward comparisons (i.e., comparisons with superior targets) result in feelings of self-threat, which heighten the need for self-efficacy and increase the preference for products that convey competence. In contrast, downward comparisons (i.e., comparisons with inferior targets) elicit feelings of social distress, which heighten the need for social relationships and increase the preference for products that convey warmth. These effects are mitigated when the comparison is made in a social skill-related domain and when the comparison target is an out-group member. Keywords: Social comparison; Self-efficacy need; Relationship need; Competence; Warmth (search for similar items in EconPapers) Downloads: (external link) Related works: Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:ijrema:v:39:y:2022:i:1:p:170-189 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijresmar.2021.04.001 Access Statistics for this article International Journal of Research in Marketing is currently edited by Roland Rust More articles in International Journal of Research in Marketing from Elsevier |
Is your work missing from RePEc? Here is how to contribute.
Questions or problems? Check the EconPapers FAQ or send mail to .
EconPapers is hosted by the
School of Business at Örebro University.