New insights into unethical counterfeit consumption

Bian, Xuemei; Wang, Kai-Yu; Smith, Andrew; Yannopoulou, Natalia

Abstract

Consumer demand for counterfeit luxury brands is unethical, but it is also robust and growing. The aim of this exploratory research, which employs in-depth interviews, is two-fold: 1) to identify the psychological and emotional insights that drive and result from the consumption of higher involvement counterfeit goods; and 2) to uncover the coping strategies related to unethical counterfeit consumption. This research reveals new psychological motivations (e.g., “thrill of the hunt”, being part of a “secret society” and genuine interest) underlying counterfeit consumption and the associated emotional outcomes (e.g., embarrassment, shame and positive hedonic gains). This research is also one of the few studies to identify cognitive moral logics by disclosing the neutralization techniques (specifically denial of responsibility and appealing to higher loyalties) that consumers adopt to cope with the cognitive dissonance associated with debatable counterfeit consumption. The paper contributes to scholarly, managerial and policy conversations.

Citation

Bian, X., Wang, K.-Y., Smith, A., & Yannopoulou, N. (2016). New insights into unethical counterfeit consumption. Journal of Business Research, 69(10), 4249-4258. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2016.02.038

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Feb 22, 2016
• Online Publication Date: Mar 12, 2016
• Publication Date: Oct 1, 2016
• Deposit Date: Dec 2, 2016
• Publicly Available Date: Dec 2, 2016
• Journal: Journal of Business Research
• Print ISSN: 0148-2963
• Electronic ISSN: 1873-7978
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 69
• Issue: 10
• Pages: 4249-4258
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2016.02.038
• Keywords: Counterfeit; Luxury brand; Consumer ethics; Motivation; Moral logics; Neutralization
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/807776
• Publisher URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0148296316300030
• Contract Date: Dec 2, 2016