Matt Thomson

• Connors, S.; Khamitov, M.; Thomson, M.; Perkins, A., (Forthcoming), "They’re Just Not That into You: How to Leverage Consumer-Brand Relationships through Social Psychological Distance", Journal of Marketing.
  Abstract: While prevailing marketing practice is to encourage ever stronger relationships between consumers and brands, such relationships are rare and many consumers are relationship-averse or content with the status quo. We examine how marketers can more effectively manage existing brand relationships by focusing on the psychological distance between consumers and brands in order to match close (distant) brands with concrete (abstract) language in marketing communications. Through such matching, marketers can create a beneficial mindset-congruency effect leading to more favorable evaluations and behavior, even for brands that are relatively distant to consumers. In Study 1 we demonstrate the basic mindset-congruency effect and in Study 2 we show it is capable of affecting donation behaviors. Study 3 documents two brand-level factors (search vs. experience goods, brand stereotypes) that moderate this effect in managerially relevant ways. Study 4 shows that activation of the mindset-congruency effect influences consumers to donate and spend more, and that these behaviors are moderated by consumer category involvement. We conclude with marketing and theoretical implications.

  Link(s) to publication:

  http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0022242920984492

• Herak, I.; Kervyn, N.; Thomson, M., 2020, "Pairing People with Products: Anthropomorphizing the Object, Dehumanizing the Person", Journal of Consumer Psychology, January 30(1): 125 - 139.
  Abstract: We present the first empirical integration of anthropomorphism and dehumanization, two intrinsically linked processes representing the extent to which the concept of humanness is activated for a given target. Across several experiments, we demonstrate that pairing a person and object in an ad, while focusing respondent attention on the object, leads to its being anthropomorphized and evaluated better compared to presenting it alone. However, compared to presenting a person alone, the same pairing leads to inferior evaluations of the person through a process of dehumanization. We rule out two alternative explanations for these effects, namely the transfer of an object's qualities to the person and consumption associations, and conduct a post‐test that provides additional support for our proposed activation/inhibition of humanness account. Finally, we inspect several moderators, finding that anthropomorphism only occurs with moderately and highly functional objects and dehumanization occurs irrespective of the person's gender or fame. By incorporating the literature on dehumanization, we propose new research questions to motivate future inquiry.

  Link(s) to publication:

  http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jcpy.1128

• Jeffrey, J.; Thomson, M., 2019, "Integrating Negative Social Cues in Tobacco Packaging: A Novel Approach to Discouraging Smokers", Journal of Consumer Affairs, December 53(4): 1380 - 1395.
  Abstract: Smoking is an international health crisis. Tobacco packaging is an important vehicle to convey antismoking messages, which to date have been predominantly limited to fear‐based health appeals. Using an experimental approach, we examine whether a novel alternative—using negative social cues on packaging—is effective at discouraging smoking. Our results support the notion that packaging which conveys to smokers that “others” view smoking negatively is sufficient to trigger feelings of self‐consciousness, which in turn reduces smoking intentions. This approach is particularly effective in “isolated” smokers who do not see smoking as identity‐relevant or congruent with their social self. These findings suggest that for a particular segment of the smoking population, the integration of negative social cues on packaging may be an effective complement to current fear‐based appeals.

  Link(s) to publication:

  http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/joca.12232

• Khamitov, M.; Wang, X.; Thomson, M., 2019, "How Well Do Brand Relationships Drive Customer Brand Loyalty? Generalizations from a Meta-Analysis of Brand Relationship Elasticities", Journal of Consumer Research, October 46(3): 435 - 459.
  Abstract: To advance understanding of how well different types of brand relationships drive customer brand loyalty and to help companies improve the effectiveness of their relationship-building investments, this article conducts a meta-analysis of the link between five consumer-brand relationship constructs and customer brand loyalty. The analysis of 588 elasticities from 290 studies reported in 255 publications over 24 years (n = 348,541 across 46 countries) reveals that the aggregate brand relationship elasticity is .439. More importantly, results demonstrate under what conditions various types of brand relationships increase loyalty. For example, while elasticities are generally highest for love-based and attachment-based brand relationships, the positive influence of brand relationships on customer brand loyalty is stronger in more recent (vs. earlier) years, for non-status (vs. status) and publicly (vs. privately) consumed brands as well as for estimates using attitudinal (vs. behavioral) customer brand loyalty. Overall, the results suggest that brand relationship elasticities vary considerably across brand, loyalty, time, and consumer characteristics. Drawing on these findings, the current research advances implications for managers and scholars and provide avenues for future research.

  Link(s) to publication:

  http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jcr/ucz006

• Whelan, J.; Hingston, T.; Thomson, M., 2019, "Does Growing Up Rich and Insecure Make Objects Seem More Human? Childhood Material and Social Environments Interact to Predict Anthropomorphism", Personality and Individual Differences, January 135: 86 - 96.
  Abstract: Despite broad, multi-disciplinary interest in the phenomenon of anthropomorphism, the psychological determinants of individual differences in anthropomorphic tendencies remain largely unaddressed. In an effort to address this gap, this research investigates the relationship between childhood material and social environments and adult anthropomorphic tendencies. Specifically, we hypothesize that people who grew up wealthy and insecurely attached are the most likely to anthropomorphize because of their simultaneously high needs for effectance and sociality. Consistent with this prediction, three studies find that people with high childhood socioeconomic status (SES) and insecure attachment styles are the most likely to anthropomorphize. Furthermore, in support of our theorizing, we show that childhood SES interacts with attachment style to predict anthropomorphic tendencies because the parents of those who grew up wealthy tended to use a family communication style that emphasized autonomy and mastery. Ultimately, our findings suggest that individual differences in adult anthropomorphic tendencies are rooted in childhood environments.

  Link(s) to publication:

  http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2018.08.015

• Albert, N.; Thomson, M., 2018, "A Synthesis of the Consumer-Brand Relationship Domain: Using Text Mining to Track Research Streams, Describe Their Emotional Associations and Identify Future Research Priorities", Journal of the Association for Consumer Research, April 3(2): 130 - 146.
  Abstract: We conduct a text mining analysis of 287 articles representing the consumer-brand relationship (CBR) literature from 1999 to 2015. We propose that the CBR domain is reflected by 71 constructs, of which less than half can be considered important. We structure the domain by identifying its 7 major research streams as well as demarcating their respective evolution and emotional features. Using the original data and incorporating a second corpus based on the articles included in the current issue on Brand Relationships, Emotions, and the Self, we outline a collection of insights that define opportunities for future research.

  Link(s) to publication:

  https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/full/10.1086/696825

  http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/696825

• Connors, S. C.; Anderson-MacDonald, S. A. M.; Thomson, M., 2017, "Overcoming the Window Dressing’ Effect: Mitigating the Negative Effects of Inherent Skepticism towards Corporate Social Responsibility", Journal of Business Ethics, October 145(3): 599 - 621.
  Abstract: As more and more instances of corporate hypocrisy become public, consumers have developed an inherent general skepticism towards firms’ corporate social responsibility (CSR) claims. As CSR skepticism bears heavily on consumers’ attitudes and behavior, this paper draws from Construal Level Theory to identify how it can be pre-emptively abated. We posit that this general skepticism towards CSR leads people to adopt a low-level construal mindset when processing CSR information. Across four studies we show that matching this low-level mindset with concrete CSR messaging works to effectively mitigate the negative effects of inherent CSR skepticism on consumers’ attitudes, purchase intentions, and word-of-mouth. The resulting construal-mindset congruency strengthens the favorability of consumer responses through increased positive elaboration and perceptions of CSR message credibility. Furthermore, this congruency effect is shown to persist over time in skeptical domains but to dissipate in less skeptical domains.

  Link(s) to publication:

  http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10551-015-2858-z

• Bendle, N. T.; Thomson, M., 2016, "Indirect Prejudice: The Danger in Considering Others’ Preferences during a Primary Election", Journal of Customer Behaviour, October 15(3): 239 - 259.
  Abstract: In a primary election, the normative advice is for voters to consider a candidate’s electability that is, to incorporate others’ preferences into their own choice. We identify an ethical problem with considering electability and investigate indirect prejudice, which is the impact of other voters’ prejudice on a non-prejudiced person’s vote. We use an analytical model to show that indirect prejudice impacts outcomes in a primary election, where considering others’ preferences is normatively superior, but not in a general election, where personal preferences dominate. When strategic voters in a primary over-predict the prejudice of general election voters, they can reject a candidate facing prejudice who the majority of voters prefer. We also present the results of an experiment that shows prompting respondents to think about prejudice reduces support for a female candidate but only in a primary election. We conclude by noting the ethical dilemma tied to indirect prejudice and letting others’ prejudice impact our decisions.

  Link(s) to publication:

  https://doi.org/10.1362/147539216X14594362873938

• Whelan, J.; Goode, M. R.; Cotte, J.; Thomson, M., 2016, "Consumer Regulation Strategies: Attenuating the Effect of Consumer References in a Voting Context", Psychology & Marketing, October 33(11): 899 - 916.
  Abstract: Consumption cues (e.g., brands, money, and advertisements) can have powerful effects on cognition, perception, and behavior, yet how people regulate responses to such cues is not well understood. This is surprising given that consumption cues are increasingly present in nontraditional consumer contexts, such as healthcare, education, and politics. This research develops a measure of two types of consumer regulation strategies, cue-based and budget-based (studies 14), and demonstrates that these strategies influence how people respond to consumption cues in a political context (study 5). Specifically, in a study involving the 2012 American Presidential Election, priming survey participants as consumers (versus citizens) influenced both voting intentions and self-reported voting behavior, and the newly developed consumer regulation scale was instrumental in detecting this effect. These findings suggest there may be merit in the escalating debate and concern over referring to voters as consumers.

  Link(s) to publication:

  http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/mar.20927

• Whelan, J.; Johnson, A. R.; Marshall, T.; Thomson, M., 2016, "Relational Domain Switching: Interpersonal Insecurity Predicts the Strength and Number of Marketplace Relationships", Psychology & Marketing, June 33(6): 465 - 479.
  Abstract: In this paper, the authors test a compensation model of interpersonal and marketplace relationships. Guided by an attachment theory perspective, the authors argue that reflecting on or experiencing insecure interpersonal relationships can induce consumers to seek surrogate relationship partners in the marketplace. This general prediction is supported by results from an experiment and two surveys. Specifically, results show that interpersonally anxious consumers report more and stronger brand relationships. Furthermore, interpersonally avoidant consumers report more and stronger brand relationships, as well as more numerous but weaker service relationships. These studies support the prediction that people employ marketplace solutions to offset deficiencies in their personal relationships. The paper concludes by contextualizing the results within research on loneliness and materialism.

  Link(s) to publication:

  http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/mar.20891

• Goode, M. R.; Hart, K.; Thomson, M., 2016, "Say no more The liability of strong ties on desire for special experiences", Journal of Consumer Psychology, January 26(1): 91 - 97.
  Abstract: Interpersonal connections are often involved in the planning, consuming, and reminiscing of special consumption experiences. Yet we have limited understanding of how consumers in different stages (planning versus reminiscing) influence one another and how this might vary as a function of relationship strength. From two experiments, our findings suggest that when planning a novel special experience, consumers should be cautious of others’ reminiscences and, specifically, of memories shared by strong ties. In our first study, we found that a memory shared by a strong tie increases a consumer’s desire to switch a novel experience. In study 2, we unpacked this effect by examining the role of savoring and internalization of memory details. When a memory was shared by a stronger (versus weaker) tie, the expected utility of savoring was reduced, and desire to switch to a new experience increased. Post analyses suggest this may be due to differences in the extent to which the memory is assimilated as one’s own experience.

  Link(s) to publication:

  http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jcps.2015.04.001

• Pirouz, D. M.; Johnson, A. R.; Thomson, M.; Pirouz, R., 2015, "Creating Online Videos That Engage Viewers", Sloan Management Review (MIT), June 56(4): 83 - 88.
  Abstract: Most people think that cute babies and sexy bodies are what make online videos go viral. But new research shows that the key driver of engagement for online video content has less to do with what you show than how you show it. By juxtaposing content elements in incongruous combinations or by creating original or exaggerated content, an emotional connection is forged with the viewer, which in turn leads to a more engaged viewer response.

  Link(s) to publication:

  http://sloanreview.mit.edu/x/56406

• Johnson, A. R.; Thomson, M.; Jeffrey, J., 2015, "What Does Brand Authenticity Mean? Causes and Consequences of Consumer Scrutiny", Review of Marketing Research, June 12: 1 - 28.
  Abstract: Purpose - Brand narratives are created to differentiate brands, and consumers base their assessments of a brand’s authenticity on this narrative. We propose that the default consumer position is to accept a brand’s narrative, and we find that consumers maintain belief in this narrative even when explicitly reminded that it is manufactured by firms with an underlying profit motive. Because belief seems to be the default position adopted by consumers, we investigate what factors act as disruptors to this default position, thereby reducing assessments of authenticity. Methodology - This research uses a series of studies to investigate when and why consumers view some brand stories as authentic and others less so. In addition, we examine the impact of changes to authenticity assessments on managerially important brand outcomes. Findings - Only when one or more authenticity disruptors are present do consumers begin to question the authenticity of the brand narrative. Disruption occurs when the focal brand is perceived to be nakedly copying a competitor, or when there is a gross mismatch between the brand narrative and reality. In the presence of one or both of these disruptors, consumers judge brands to be less authentic, report lower identification, lower assessments of brand quality and social responsibility, and are less likely to join the brand’s community. Implications - Creating compelling brand stories is an important aspect of any marketing manager’s job after all, these narratives help drive sales. Care must be taken when crafting narratives however, since consumers use these as the basis of their authenticity assessments, and brands deemed inauthentic are penalized.

  Link(s) to publication:

  http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/S1548-643520150000012001

• Thomson, M.; Whelan, J.; Johnson, A. R., 2012, "Why Brands Should Fear Fearful Consumers: How Attachment Style Predicts Retaliation", Journal of Consumer Psychology, June 22(2): 289 - 298.
  Abstract: In two surveys of adult consumers, we find that attachment styles predict consumers’ reactions after brand relationships end. Specifically, fearful’ consumers those high in both attachment anxiety and avoidance are most likely to complain to third parties, to obsess about harming the brand, and to report seeking payback against brands. Two factors mediate the effect of attachment on reactions: threats to consumers’ self-image and the loss of benefits from their relationship. This is consistent with the explanation we propose: specifically, fearful individuals invest in and depend more on consumption relationships and, therefore, lose more when such relationships end.

  Link(s) to publication:

  http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jcps.2011.04.006

• Johnson, A. R.; Matear, M.; Thomson, M., 2011, "A Coal in the Heart: Self-Relevance as a Post-Exit Predictor of Consumer Anti-Brand Actions", Journal of Consumer Research, June 38(1): 108 - 125.
  Abstract: This article extends theory around consumer-brand relationship quality by exploring conditions under which such relationships may be transformed into exceptionally negative dispositions toward once-coveted brands. Survey and experimental results indicate that the more self-relevant a consumer-brand relationship, the more likely are anti-brand retaliatory behaviors after the relationship ends. These anti-brand behaviors are diverse: from complaining to third parties, to negative word of mouth, to illegal actions such as theft, threats, and vandalism. In contrast, post-exit consumer-brand relationships that were low in self-relevance but were high in trust, commitment, and satisfaction are less likely to result in anti-brand actions. The role of a discrete product or service failure is also explored, and results suggest that self-relevance may motivate retaliation even in the absence of a so-called critical incident. Ultimately, this research illuminates previously unexplored mechanismsincluding self-conscious emotional reactionsthat motivate consumer hostility and retaliation.

  Link(s) to publication:

  http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/657924

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