Face as a mediator of the relationship between material value and brand consciousness

Abstract

Although the relationship between materialism and name-brand consumption has been documented in literature, its relational mechanism is not well addressed. It can hardly explain why people buy brand products without really knowing about the brands. In this case, people may consume brand products not for material possessions but for social needs, such as a desire to have favorable social self-worth and to be respected in relation to others and social activities, which is defined as face (Ting-Toomey & Kurogi, 1998). The present study explored how the relationship between materialism and brand consciousness is influenced by face. The role of face was tested both as a moderator and as a mediator. The results showed that face consciousness, material values, and brand consciousness were significantly correlated but did not exhibit significant interaction. Multiple regression analyses support face not as a moderator, but as a partial mediator. The results provide new insights into the mechanisms of how materialism and face influence brand consciousness differently. The theoretical meaning and implications for marketing management are discussed.

Cultural Difference of Customer Equity Drivers on Customer Loyalty: A Cross-National Comparison between South Korea and United States

“…Contrary to our hypotheses, Brand equity has more positive influence on building consumer's trust in USA than in Korea. This result contradicts with previous research findings by Liao and Wang (2009) that Asian consumers would be more brands orientated than Western consumers because of their desire to express social self-worth. It leads to the conclusion that, in Korea, branding seems to be less important for building consumer's trust in retail industries.…”

The Intermediate Linkage Between Materialism and Luxury Consumption: Evidence from the Emerging Market of China

“…Browne and Kaldenberg (1997) found that, compared to those who have a lower level of materialism, people who have a higher level of materialism are more concerned with social cues and have a higher tendency to shape their projected image to fit different situations. People with a higher level of materialism are more likely to value things that symbolize wealth, prestige and achievement (Richins 1994;Tatzel 2002) and consume goods publicly and possess visible wealth in order to obtain satisfaction from others' admiration and envy (Liao and Wang 2009). This indicates that they desire high social value in the products they purchase and use.…”

Materialistic consumers who seek unique products: How does their need for status and their affective response facilitate the repurchase intention of luxury goods?

“…The largest market segment of luxury brands belongs to materialistic consumers and materialism is the primary factor in their attitude towards the purchase of luxury brands (Wiedmann et al, 2009;Gil et al, 2012). The increasing need for worldly possessions to signal status has led to an ever increasing degree of materialism; as a result, the consumption of luxury goods is correspondingly growing (Liao and Wang, 2009). Thus, in response, the following hypothesis is developed:…”