Sizes Are Gendered: The Effect of Size Cues in Brand Names on Brand Stereotyping

Kuangjie Zhang1; Shaobo (Kevin) Li2; Sharon Ng3

2021

10.1093/jcr/ucab058

JOURNAL OF CONSUMER RESEARCH   影响因子和分区

0093-5301

1537-5277

Size cues are increasingly common in brand names (e.g., Xiaomi and Mini Cooper), but scant research has investigated whether and how brand name size cues influence consumers' perceptions. This research shows that a brand name size cue can evoke gender associations, which subsequently affect consumers' perceived warmth and competence of the target brand. A series of seven studies provide converging evidence that brands with a size cue of smallness in the name are perceived to be warmer but less competent, while those with a size cue of bigness are perceived to be less warm but more competent. A combination of measurement-of-mediation and moderation-of-process approaches provide support for the role of gender associations underlying the effect of brand name size cues on consumers' brand perceptions. This research also shows that brand name size cues can have diverging effects on the perceived warmth of the brand versus of the product. Finally, this research rules out alternative accounts based on perceived market power and firm size.

brand name semantic size stereotype gender association warmth and competence

SSCI

英语

通讯

National Natural Science Foundation of China[72102099,71832010] ; Guangdong Natural Science Foundation[2020A151501530]

Business & Economics

Business

WOS:000756642600001

OXFORD UNIV PRESS INC

ECONOMICS BUSINESS

人工提交

1.Division of Marketing, Nanyang Business School, Nanyang Technological University
2.Division of Information System and Management Engineering, College of Business, Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech)
3.Division of Marketing, Nanyang Business School, Nanyang Technological University

Kuangjie Zhang,Shaobo ,Sharon Ng. Sizes Are Gendered: The Effect of Size Cues in Brand Names on Brand Stereotyping[J]. JOURNAL OF CONSUMER RESEARCH,2021.

Kuangjie Zhang,Shaobo ,&Sharon Ng.(2021).Sizes Are Gendered: The Effect of Size Cues in Brand Names on Brand Stereotyping.JOURNAL OF CONSUMER RESEARCH.

Kuangjie Zhang,et al."Sizes Are Gendered: The Effect of Size Cues in Brand Names on Brand Stereotyping".JOURNAL OF CONSUMER RESEARCH (2021).