Likes wanted: the impact of social recognition on products’ status marker value

Purpose This study aims to investigate how conspicuous consumption alters products’ status marker value (SMV) for owners in the post-purchase phase. The authors study how status negotiations on social media via social recognition impact owners’ product status perceptions. They specifically examine the process of conversational value and the boundary conditions of products’ closeness to self and consumers’ possession-defined success valuation. Design/methodology/approach Two online experiments were conducted to investigate consumers’ perceptions of products’ SMV. Findings Results of the two experiments demonstrate that conspicuous consumption alters consumers’ status perceptions of possessions depending on the level of social recognition and conversational value. Consumers perceive higher status for possessions when they receive high (vs low) social recognition through social media likes and comments because social recognition increases products’ conversational value. The authors further identify consumers’ possession-defined success valuation and products’ closeness to self as boundary conditions. If consumers highly value possession-defined success and products are close to their self, then social recognition leads to higher SMV through conversational value. Research limitations/implications The authors reveal the malleability of products’ status perceptions for consumers (not for observers) depending on the volume of social recognition received through social media and how these perceptions are further shaped by conversational value, products’ closeness to self and possession-defined success valuation. Practical implications Implications related to product valuation, positioning and customer engagement are discussed. Originality/value This research conceptualizes conspicuous consumption as an antecedent (not a consequence) of status attribution because status is established through social negotiations based on others’ feedback. The authors reveal the malleability of products’ status perceptions for consumers (not for observers) depending on the volume of social recognition received through social media and how these perceptions are further shaped by conversational value, products’ closeness to self and possession-defined success valuation. Implications related to product valuation, positioning and customer engagement are discussed.