1. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE TOO GOOD TO
SHOP AT WALMART?
INVESTIGATING THE INTERACTION BETWEEN BRAND
NAMES AND INDICATIONS OF WEALTH
Michelle Herman, Grace Kim, Jessica Collier
PSYC 3006, Section 206
2. INTRODUCTION
People make purchase decisions based upon
perceptions of wealth and success (Mandel et
al., 2006)
Sodas with national brand names are chosen
more often than bargain brand names
(Breneiser & Allen, 2011; Bushman, 1993)
Past research has not addressed the effect of
both status of brand name and indication of
wealth on shopping preferences
3. HYPOTHESES
The mean difference in favorability ratings
between the condition with the wealthier-
looking family and average-looking family will
be greater in the higher-status brand name
(Macy’s) condition than the mean difference in
favorability ratings between wealthier-looking
family and average-looking family in the lower-
status brand name (Wal-Mart) condition
We also predicted that there would be main
effects for both brand name status and
indication of wealth
4. PREDICTED INTERACTION
7
6
5
Favorability
4
Wealthy Family
3
Average-Looking Family
2
1
0
Macy's Wal-Mart
Store Brand
5. METHOD
Participants
36 participants
10 men, 25 women, and 1 non-response
Design/Materials
2 x 2 between-participants design
Brand name and indication of wealth were manipulated
Four conditions:
(1) higher-status brand / higher indication of wealth
(2) higher-status brand / lesser indication of wealth
(3) lower-status brand / higher indication of wealth
(4) lower-status brand / lesser indication of wealth
6. METHOD
Interpretation of shopping preferences were
measured using 3 items on a questionnaire
7-point Likert Scale
1 = Strongly Disagree and 7 = Strongly agree
Each of the items were averaged to make a
composite score
Procedure
Randomly assigned conditions by receiving a packet
with one of four conditions
Each participant was instructed to carefully look at
the pictures and form an opinion
Then asked to complete the questionnaire on the next
page
9. SAMPLE MATERIALS
Target Questions
(1) I would be willing to buy items at this store.
(2) I would enjoy shopping at this store.
(3) I would recommend this store to friends and relatives.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strongly Disagree Slightly Neutral Slightly Agree Strongly
Disagree Disagree Agree Agree
10. RESULTS
We conducted a 2 (Brand Name Status) x 2
(Indication of Wealth) between-participants
ANOVA, alpha = .05
Correlations between each of the target questions
on the questionnaire (r ≥ .50)
The scores were averaged to produce a composite
DV score for each participant
No significant main effect of brand name, F (1, 32)
= .02, p = .893
No significant main effect of indication of
wealth, F(1, 32) = .10, p = .755
No significant interaction between brand name and
indication of wealth, F(1, 32) = .59, p = .450
11. MEAN AND SDS
IV 1: Brand IV 2: Indication
Mean SD
Status of Wealth
Lower-brand Average-looking
4.59 .62
status family
Lower-brand Wealthier-
4.78 1.63
status looking family
Higher-brand Average-looking
4.96 1.21
status family
Higher-brand Wealthier-
4.52 1.26
status looking family
12. DISCUSSION
Presence of wealth and store brand status had
no effect on shopping preferences
Findings do not support that people make
purchase decisions based upon perceptions of
wealth and success (Mandel et al., 2006)
Findings do not support that status of brand
name impacts consumer choices (Breneiser &
Allen, 2011; Bushman, 1993)
13. DISCUSSION
Previous exposure to the brand name might
have affected participant’s attitudes towards
these name brands
Stimuli might not have accurately portrayed
the conditions
Experiment might not have been structured
well enough to give participants enough time
to develop a strong opinion about the stimuli
Future research should investigate whether
pre-existing attitudes towards brand names
affect shopping preferences
14. REFERENCES
Brenesier, J.E. & Allen, S. N. (2011). Taste preference for
brand name versus store brand sodas. North American
Journal of Psychology, 13(2), 281-290.
Bushman, B. J. (1993). What’s in a name? The moderating
role of public self-consciousness on the relation between
brand label and brand preference. Journal of Applied
Psychology, 78(5), 857-861.
Mandel, N., Petrova, P. & Cialdini (2006). Images of
Success and the Preference for Luxury Brands. Journal
of Consumer Psychology, 16(1), 57-69.
