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  • JBR_paper_Anthropomorphism_etc_Karanika_and_Hogg_Oct_2019

    Rights statement: This is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Journal of Business Research. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Journal of Business Research, 109, 2020 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.10.005

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Self–object relationships in consumers’ spontaneous metaphors of anthropomorphism, zoomorphism, and dehumanization

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<mark>Journal publication date</mark>31/03/2020
<mark>Journal</mark>Journal of Business Research
Volume109
Number of pages11
Pages (from-to)15-25
Publication StatusPublished
Early online date1/12/19
<mark>Original language</mark>English

Abstract

How consumers relate to possessions and consumption goods, and pursue identity goals through spontaneous metaphors of anthropomorphism, zoomorphism, and dehumanization (AZD) in consumption, has not been explored. Whereas previous studies primed and prompted AZD by focusing on consumers’ reactions to marketers’ AZD, we examined AZD metaphors that emerged spontaneously from our conversations with Greek consumers in this phenomenological study. We identify four patterns that show how different attachment styles to consumer goods were combined with different types of AZD metaphors to provide different emotional benefits relating to identity goals. The study contributes to our understanding of how consumers employ AZD as self-therapeutic metaphors to cope with unwanted feelings such as guilt and ambivalence within identity conflicts, approach and feel closer to their desired selves, experience self-augmentation, and cope with their undesired selves and self-diminishment in consumption. We discuss how marketing campaigns linked to product design, branding, and advertising might facilitate consumers’ metaphoric coping by stimulating consumers’ AZD metaphors.

Bibliographic note

This is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Journal of Business Research. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Journal of Business Research, 109, 2020 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.10.005