To Be or Not Be? The Influence of Dissociative Reference Groups on Consumer Preferences

Abstract

The current research explores the effects of dissociative reference groups on consumer preferences. Males had more negative evaluations of, and were less inclined to choose, a product associated with a dissociative (i.e., female) reference group than a neutral product (Study 1). This finding was moderated by whether the product was consumed in public or private (Study 2) and public self-consciousness (Study 3). We suggest the mechanism underlying our effects is a desire to present a positive self-image to others. The role of dissociative reference groups in marketing communications is discussed.Consider the following experience of the first author: One evening, my husband and I went to a high-end restaurant for dinner. As we sat deliberating over the menu, the server asked if we had made any selections. My husband looked up at the server in anguish and said that he felt like steak, but that he wasn't all that hungry. The server suggested that my husband select the smaller of the two steaks offered on the menu. My husband admitted that he had considered that option, but did not want to be perceived to "be a lady." Sure enough, I looked at the menu and saw that the smaller steak had been given the name "ladies' cut." Although my husband managed to overcome the negative associations of the ladies' cut and ended up choosing the smaller steak (only after ensuring that the server understood he was not a lady), the server told us that his intuition was that sales of the larger steak had increased since the renaming of the smaller steak.Anecdotally, there are many examples of consumers avoiding products associated with particular groups: the teenager who doesn't want to wear his dad's aftershave, the baby boomer who won't use products that are associated with being "elderly," the college student who avoids dressing "geeky," and so forth. These examples demonstrate that groups can serve as points of reference for how consumers think and behave.

Where Consumers Diverge from Others: Identity Signaling and Product Domains

“…Prior research indicates that consumers' choices are often influenced by reference groups (Bearden and Etzel 1982;Moschis 1976;Stafford 1966), and people may conform to the choices of similar others due to information or a need to belong, avoid punishment, or express identity (Deutsch and Gerard 1955;Park and Lessig 1977). Consumers may also avoid options that are linked to certain out-groups to avoid being associated with them Englis and Solomon 1995;White and Dahl 2006). Building on these findings, study 3 examines how the identity of the group associated with a taste interacts with whether the particular taste domain is used to infer identity.…”

Identifiable but Not Identical: Combining Social Identity and Uniqueness Motives in Choice

“…And situational factors can activate people's desires to make different choices or distinguish themselves from those around them (Ariely and Levav 2000;Fishbach, Ratner, and Zhang 2011;Maimaran and Wheeler 2008). Differentiation may also be driven by the symbolic meaning of consumption; consumers often diverge from the behavior of out-group members to avoid communicating undesired identities Heath 2007, 2008;Berger and Rand 2008;White andDahl 2006, 2007).…”

“…When distinctiveness is threatened, people may describe themselves as more similar to other in-group members, for example, because it heightens differences from out-group members (Pickett, Bonner, and Coleman 2002). Along similar lines, although not explicitly focused on drives for similarity and differentiation, research on divergence and the meaning of consumption has also examined how group-level comparisons can satisfy different identity motives Heath 2007, 2008;Berger and Rand 2008;White andDahl 2006, 2007). By converging with the choices of similar others (e.g., a jock dressing like the jocks) and diverging from the choices of dissimilar others (e.g., jocks dressing differently than punks), consumption gains symbolic meaning as a marker of group membership.…”

“…Brands often signal group identities (Escalas andBettman 2003, 2005;Muniz and O'Guinn 2001;White and Dahl 2007). Polo and Abercrombie, for example, tend to be associated with preppy college fraternities, whereas Vans and Quiksilver tend to be associated with skateboarders.…”

“…By experimentally manipulating the social group associated with different options (i.e., in-group or out-group), we simultaneously test how social identity motives and individual desires for distinction combine to drive choices. Many aspects of consumer choice can communicate identity, but past research demonstrates a particularly strong association between social identities and brands (Escalas andBettman 2003, 2005;Muniz and O'Guinn 2001;White and Dahl 2007). For example, research has shown that consumers form stronger connections with brands that are used by members of an in-group.…”