It Is All in the Mind(set)! Matching Mindsets and Luxury Tourism

Abstract

Informed by the psychological theory of mindsets, we establish how “fixed” and “growth” mindsets divergently influence luxury travel behaviors. Across three experiments, we found that the relative preference for luxury travel is higher when consumers adopt a fixed rather than growth mindset (studies 1a and 1b). The effect of mindsets is also evident within consumer evaluations of luxury hotel advertisements. Specifically, providing detailed information about the luxury hotel’s facilities via advertising improves evaluations when travelers adopt a growth mindset, but such information has no effect when they adopt a fixed mindset (study 2). Moreover, while fixed mindsets show more positive evaluations of luxury hotels when an advertisement employs affective language, employing cognitive language results in more positive evaluations among growth mindsets (study 3). Taken together, these results illustrate that fixed mindsets value luxury travel for self-enhancement benefits, while growth mindsets – for superior quality.

Loneliness, Implicit-Self and Digital Literacy

“…The concepts of growth mindset and fixed mindset have been widely used in the field of marketing and education for their role in moderating certain phenomena rather than showing how the mindset is derived. For example, they have been considered as a way to increase brand attitude through advertising slogans ( Kwon et al, 2016 ; Seo et al, 2021 ). This study, however, shows how the mindset is directly and indirectly affected by loneliness and motivation.…”

“…Regarding the intervention, many existing studies in psychology and business have shown that such artificial manipulation in motivation or mindset leads to behavioral change. For example, goal-oriented messages can increase promotion-focused motivation ( Keller, 2006 ; Yeo and Park, 2006 ), and choosing words that can create faith in growth can influence consumers to have a growth mindset ( Kwon et al, 2016 ; Seo et al, 2021 ). Therefore, using various motivational and cognitive approaches, along with psychological support, to lessen loneliness would play a key role in helping people acquire digital illiteracy.…”

“…The mindset, as a part of human character, has been explored psychologically in academic and sociological fields. Recently, research has been conducted on mindset as a part of consumer behavior as well (e.g., Park and John, 2010 ; Yorkston et al, 2010 ; Kwon et al, 2016 ; Seo et al, 2021 ). Rai and Lin (2019) demonstrated that the mindset affects customers’ financial decision making according to their belief in personality traits.…”

Perceived Threat of COVID-19 Influences Product Preferences: The Moderating Role of Consumers’ Mindset

“…Hence, the concrete managerial implications would be for marketers to design and match the appropriate consumers’ mindset in advertising messages (Septianto, 2020; Yorkston et al, 2010) with the products (i.e., a fixed mindset with typical product, and a growth mindset with atypical products) during this unprecedented situation. Marketers can also highlight the innovation and “newness” (i.e., a growth mindset congruent) or the historicity and tradition (i.e., a fixed mindset congruent) (Seo et al, 2019) in marketing communications to create a match-up with specific (a)typical products. In addition, the current research also provides further understanding of how consumers regulate their affect when they perceive threat of COVID-19.…”

The Impact of Same versus Different Price Presentation on Travel Choice and the Moderating Role of Childhood Socioeconomic Status

“…First, this research exclusively collected data through online panels using a scenario-based method. Although this methodology has been commonly used in the tourism literature (e.g., Cui et al 2020; Seo, Ko, and Kim 2021; Lee et al 2020), further research could investigate this phenomenon using field experiments, survey data, and actual travel decisions. Second, there may be other factors that influence how price dispersion is being processed.…”