We review a growing body of research in consumer behavior that has examined when consumers humanize brands by perceiving them as like, part of, or in a relationship with themselves. One research stream shows that sometimes consumers... more
We review a growing body of research in consumer behavior that has examined when consumers humanize brands by perceiving them as like, part of, or in a relationship with themselves. One research stream shows that sometimes consumers perceive brands as having human-like forms, minds, and personality characteristics. A second stream identifies ways that a consumer perceives a brand as being congruent with or connected to the self. Finally, a third highlights that consumers can view brands in ways that are analogous to the types of relationships they have with people. We review research in these three areas and point out connections among these research streams. In part, we accomplish this by showing that factors associated with the SEEK model, which are designed to explain anthropomorphic tendencies, are also relevant to other ways of humanizing brands. We identify major propositions derived from this research and several areas for which additional research is needed. We conclude with recommendations for the many opportunities for expanding our conceptual and empirical understanding of this domain.
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A series of studies show converging evidence of a positivity effect in consumers' inferences about service providers. When the consumer has little experience with a service, positive information about a single employee leads to... more
A series of studies show converging evidence of a positivity effect in consumers' inferences about service providers. When the consumer has little experience with a service, positive information about a single employee leads to inferences that the firm's other service ...
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... Alternatively, I can snipe bid, in which case U can do one of two things - not bid at all or snipe bid. The focal bidder U can anticipate the ... < 1) that a last-minute bid is transmitted successfully, because the informed bidder... more
... Alternatively, I can snipe bid, in which case U can do one of two things - not bid at all or snipe bid. The focal bidder U can anticipate the ... < 1) that a last-minute bid is transmitted successfully, because the informed bidder cannot win by bidding ...
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... Alternatively, I can snipe bid, in which case U can do one of two things - not bid at all or snipe bid. The focal bidder U can anticipate the ... < 1) that a last-minute bid is transmitted successfully, because the informed bidder... more
... Alternatively, I can snipe bid, in which case U can do one of two things - not bid at all or snipe bid. The focal bidder U can anticipate the ... < 1) that a last-minute bid is transmitted successfully, because the informed bidder cannot win by bidding ...
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... 3.68, respectively, , M p 6.47 t(61) p J11.72 p ! ) and higher performance expectations from women as .001 wedding planners when compared with male wedding plan-ners ( vs. 3.55, respectively, , M p 6.77 t(61) p 14.07 p ! ). The ...
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A series of studies show converging evidence of a positivity effect in consumers&#x27; inferences about service providers. When the consumer has little experience with a service, positive information about a single employee leads to... more
A series of studies show converging evidence of a positivity effect in consumers&#x27; inferences about service providers. When the consumer has little experience with a service, positive information about a single employee leads to inferences that the firm&#x27;s other service ...
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A field experiment investigated the impact of two external reference points under the seller's control on the final price of an auction. When an item's seller specified a high external reference price (a reserve price), the... more
A field experiment investigated the impact of two external reference points under the seller's control on the final price of an auction. When an item's seller specified a high external reference price (a reserve price), the final bid was greater than when the seller specified a ...
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Résumé/Abstract A series of experiments examined how a container&#x27;s shape can bias judgments of product quantity. Packages that have shapes that are perceived as attracting more attention are also perceived to contain a greater... more
Résumé/Abstract A series of experiments examined how a container&#x27;s shape can bias judgments of product quantity. Packages that have shapes that are perceived as attracting more attention are also perceived to contain a greater volume of a product than same-...