Egocentric Improvement Evaluations: Change in the Self as an Anchor for Brand Improvement Judgments

Prior research has identified product improvement perceptions as critical to consumers’ product upgrade decisions (e.g., upgrading to a new iPhone), but little work has examined factors influencing these improvement perceptions. This research shows that drawing consumers’ attention to their global self-improvement can increase product improvement judgments and upgrade intentions when self–brand connection is high, a phenomenon the authors refer to as egocentric improvement evaluation. In line with egocentric categorization theory, which identifies the self as a dominant reference category in product judgment, the authors demonstrate cognitive drivers of the effect. Specifically, egocentric improvement evaluations are moderated by self-focus, which determines whether the self is an accessible reference category. Furthermore, the authors propose that egocentric improvement evaluations also have a motivational driver: consumers project their self-improvement onto self-connected brands to satisfy self-enhancement motives. The core effect is moderated by self-affirmation, which quells the need for self-enhancement, and by self-threat, which heightens the need for self-enhancement. The authors investigate this effect in five studies and discuss the theoretical and practical implications.

• 저널Journal of Marketing Research · 55(6) · 934–950
• 토픽Consumer Behavior in Brand Consumption and Identification · Marketing
• DOI10.1177/0022243718810801
• 저자Sokiente Dagogo-Jack, Mark Forehand