The document summarizes a master's thesis that examines how the desire for control relates to conspicuous consumption and responses to mortality salience. It presents two hypotheses: 1) that a higher desire for control leads to more status consumption, and 2) that unconscious vs conscious death thoughts have different effects. It then outlines the methodology, which involved two experiments that primed mortality salience or a control topic and measured the desire for control. The results section indicates support for the first hypothesis for some products. It also found reversals in purchasing intention between unconscious and conscious death thought conditions. The conclusions discuss how the desire for control can be both destructive and beneficial.

1. How destructive is
DESIRE FOR CONTROL?
Conspicuous Consumption & Terror
Management Theory
Master Thesis MSc Marketing Management
Laura Paap
24 September
2012

2. Outline
1Topic Introduction
2Hypotheses
3Method & Data Collection
4 Analysis & Results
5Conclusions

3. Conspicuous
Consumption
- Consumer debt
• Psychological
insecurities
-> Repair self-
esteem

4. Terror Management
Theory
• Death thoughts
• Dual defense model (Arndt et
al. 2004)
Death Proxim Delay Distal
thought al defens
s defens es
es
CONSCI UNCONSC
OUS
Suppre IOUS
+ Self-esteem
ssion

5. Terror Management
Theory
Death Proxim Delay Distal
thought al defens
s ?
defens
es
es
• Individual differences

6. Desire for control
- Achievement
- Controlling death
Mortalit Conspic
y uous
salienc Consum
e ? ption
Desire
?
for
control

7. 2. Hypotheses
1. High desire More status
for control consumption
2a. UNCONSCIOUS death thoughts:
stronger
2b. CONSCIOUS death thoughts:
reversal

8. 3. Method & data
collection
Pretest: status-symbol

9. 3. Method & data
collection
Two 2x2 experiments
• Mortality salience
“Please describe
emotions…”
Deat Mus
h ic

10. 3. Method & data
collection
Two 2x2 experiments
• Mortality salience
• Desire for control
Burger & Cooper
(1987)
20-item scale

11. 3. Method & data
collection
IV: Status consumption
“Imagine you have been • Spend or
earning a high salary for save?
>10 years…”
• Purchasin
€ g intention
Retail
price

12. 3. Method & data
collection
Death Proxim Delay Distal
thought al defens
s defens es
es
CONSCI UNCONSC
OUS IOUS

13. 4. Analysis & Results
Study 1: 104
respondents
Study 2: 165
4 conditions:
respondents
High DFC + High DFC +
Death Music
Low DFC + Low DFC +
• Independent sample t-
Death Music
tests
• ANOVA : interaction

14. 1 Does a higher DFC increase
status consumption?
Study 1: Higher € Rolex & Mont
Blanc +34% +52%
Study 2: Higher € Rolex
+28%
1. High desire More status
for control consumption
✔ for some
products

15. 2a/b And what happens when we
prime mortality?
UNCONSCIOUS death thoughts: revers
2a. stronger al
• purchasing intention ( Burberry,
Mont Blanc )
weak
CONSCIOUS death thoughts:
2b. reversal
• purchasing intention ( Burberry,
Mont Blanc, total )
• Burberry spend

16. 5. Conclusions
Desire for control can be
destructive…
but also beneficial
Implications:
• Consumer targeting
• Curbing consumption

17. 5. Conclusions
Desire for control can be
destructive…
but also beneficial
Limitations & future research:
• Status-symbol products
• Harnessing desire for control

18. Thank You

19. Distal vs. proximal
effects Spending amount Rolex watch
€ 3,000
€ 2,522
€ 2,500 € 2,253
€ 2,000 € 1,767
€ 1,500 Death
€ 1,056
€ 1,000 Music
€ 500
€-
Distal study Proximal study

20. Purchasing intention
Burberry
Distal defense Proximal
5 defense
5
4
4
3
3
2 2
1 1
0 0
Music Death Music Death