Investigating consumers' brand desirability of “upcycled” luxury: the many faces of designer facemasks

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of the study is to investigate the effect of terminal and instrumental values on the attitude and brand desirability for upcycled luxury designer facemasks, in relation with generic luxury designer facemasks.Design/methodology/approachA quantitative approach was adopted in this study, and data were collected via an online consumer panel from 390 existing Australian luxury consumers, aged 18 and above. Stimuli that represented the two upcycling conditions (remnants and past collections) and a control condition (generic product) from an actual Burberry-branded facemask were designed for the study. The collected data were analysed using the least partial square and multi-group analysis of the structural equation modelFindingsThe findings indicate that consumers do not perceive Burberry facemasks made from upcycled remnant materials and previous collections have superior aesthetic or self-expressive benefits to them when compared to the generic Burberry masks. In the same vein, both upcycled categories do not provide superior instrumental values through economic benefits or safety when compared to the generic Burberry masks. Hence, terminal and instrumental values had no influence on the attitude and brand desirability for upcycled luxury designer facemasks, in relation with generic luxury designer facemasks.Practical implicationsThe results indicate that strategies will have to be better designed to have a balance between safety features (as opposed to fashion) and luxury desirability of the brand to better capture the market for difference consumer values for the facemasks. As this is a relatively low involvement product, the pricing strategies must be re-evaluated.Originality/valueThis study offers empirical support for the proposition that different upcycling methods in the name of sustainable practices may have different functions for different consumer values in luxury marketing implementations. For the choice of facemasks during the COVID-19 pandemic, it provides empirical evidence for consumer choice for the different types and how it can be used to elevate luxury brand desirability.

The emergence of a values-based premium private label brand reputation within a multiple-tier brand portfolio

“…The findings also show that the instrumental value "responsibility" may have multiple meanings as a mean to diverse terminal values: it is a mean to a consumer's pleasure (making responsible choices can make one feel good), to a wider ethical viewpoint (doing or not doing good to others) and to the ethicality of the corporate brand (ensuring one's financial security with a loyalty card system). This is in line with the research suggesting that terminal values refer to preferred social, emotional, aesthetic and self-expressive end-states of existence (Kahle, 1986;Kautish and Sharma, 2018;Phau et al, 2022aPhau et al, , 2022b and are based on universal needs of individuals such as hedonism (pleasure), security (financial security) and universalism (doing good) (Allen, 2001;Schwartz, 1994). While the findings are also in line with research that has considered pleasure as one possible terminal value in the decision of purchasing luxury products (Kautish et al, 2020), it extends this line of research by highlighting the important role of doing good and showing that monetary incentives may have an underlying influence on consumers' purchasing decisions regarding premium PL brands.…”

“…Recent research has shown that both instrumental and terminal values affect consumers’ behavioral intentions (Kautish and Sharma, 2018). For instance, researchers have proposed that terminal value-oriented individuals seek social or individual benefits by consuming products that offer them symbolic and expressive benefits, while instrumental value-oriented individuals value a product's utilitarian benefits over hedonic benefits (Allen et al , 2002; Phau et al , 2022a, 2022b). The purchase decision of premium brands is often motivated by different reasons than that of economy products.…”

Investigating consumers' brand desirability for upcycled luxury brands

“…Upcycling is to create higher quality and value‐added products through a redesigning process of discarded raw materials or objects (Sung, 2015). The potential for upcycled products to be transformed from superfluous materials into something valuable and attractive (Phau et al, 2022) has led to mass sales of upcycled products by numerous evolving firms of impending evolution in the context of sustainability innovation (McDonough & Braungart, 2002). The scope of products created through upcycling has varied across different categories, such as rugs from fabric scraps, refashioned clothes or bags; soaps and fertilizers from organic waste, artistic objects from scrap metal; or even an entire building from reused deconstruction components (Sung, 2017; Yu & Lee, 2019).…”

“…The need for companies to reduce waste, improve revenue, and gain a positive corporate image as ethical companies have resulted in the common trend of upcycling (Phau et al, 2022). Upcycling is further considered the greener version of recycling.…”

“…Upcycled and recycled clothing must be considered separately in the studies on sustainable fashion. Due to the unpredictability of the materials' quality and quantity, sample manufacturing for upcycled luxury clothes is severely constrained (Phau et al, 2022). Luxury fashion items that have been upcycled may appeal to shoppers looking for inventive and distinctive fashion items.…”