IP Outreach Research > IP Crime
Reference
| Title: | Devil wears (counterfeit) Prada: a study of antecedents and outcomes of attitudes towards counterfeits of luxury brands |
| Author: | Ian Phau and Min Teah [Curtin University of Technology] |
| Source: | Journal of Consumer Marketing 26, no. 1: 15-27 |
| Year: | 2009 |
Details
| Subject/Type: | Counterfeiting |
| Focus: | Brands (non-deceptive counterfeits), Luxury Goods |
| Country/Territory: | China |
| Objective: | To examine how social and personality factors influence Chinese consumers' attitudes towards counterfeits of luxury brands and their intention to purchase them. |
| Sample: | 202 shoppers at a major shopping complex in the city of Shanghai |
| Methodology: | Self-administered questionnaire distributed through the "mall intercept" method |
Main Findings
Three in four Shanghai shoppers (74.8%) surveyed affirmed buying counterfeits of luxury brands. The following social and personality factors were found to influence consumer attitudes towards counterfeit luxury goods:
- information susceptibility (the more consumers rely on opinions of others when taking purchase decisions, the more negative their attitude towards counterfeits is)
- normative susceptibility (the more consumers base their purchase decisions on the expectations of what would impress others, the more positive their attitude towards counterfeits is)
- novelty seeking (the greater the curiosity of individuals to seek variety and difference, the more negative their attitude towards counterfeits is)
- status consumption (the more consumers seek to display their prestige and status to surrounding others through visible evidence, the more positive their attitude towards counterfeits is)
Value consciousness, integrity and personal gratification (the need for a sense of accomplishment and social recognition) had no significant influence on attitudes towards luxury counterfeits. Chinese collectivistic culture was not found to influence attitudes towards luxury counterfeits either, possibly due to the more individualistic urban Shanghai setting.
Consumer attitudes towards counterfeits play an important role in influencing consumer purchase intention: the more favourable consumer attitudes towards counterfeiting are, the higher the chances that consumers will buy counterfeit luxury brands.
Apart from the attitude towards counterfeits, the following social and personality factors were found to influence consumer intention to purchase counterfeit luxury goods:
- status consumption (the more consumers seek to display their prestige and status to surrounding others through visible evidence, the more likely they are to buy counterfeits)
- value consciousness (the more value conscious consumers are, the more likely they are to buy counterfeits)
- normative susceptibility (the more consumers base their purchase decisions on the expectations of what would impress others, the more likely they are to buy counterfeits)
- information susceptibility (the more consumers rely on opinions of others when taking purchase decisions, the less likely they are to buy counterfeits)
- integrity (the more consumers view integrity as crucial, the less likely they are to buy counterfeits)
Personal gratification, collectivism and novelty seeking had no significant influence on counterfeit luxury goods purchase intention.
Buyers and non-buyers of counterfeits show different attitudes towards counterfeits: compared to non-buyers, buyers perceive fakes of luxury brands to have similar quality, to provide similar functions, and to be just as reliable as the originals. Attitudes towards the social consequences of counterfeiting do not differ between buyers and non-buyers: both groups affirm that counterfeits infringe IP, damage the interests and rights of legitimate and original manufacturers, hurt the luxury goods industry, and are illegal.
Managerial implications: offer greater affordability to consumers through brand extensions and special licensed products (without eroding brand prestige); clear differentiation between originals and fakes in terms of quality, functionality and reliability is crucial (design/invest in stronger differentiating product attributes, tell consumers how to recognise fakes); reinforce the quality, value, and uniqueness of the original to prevent value conscious consumers from buying fakes; educate consumers about negative aspects of counterfeiting (e.g. quality and safety standards of fakes); emphasising the negative economic impact and potential unemployment as consequences of counterfeiting gives the problem a human face, provoking more empathy from consumers; exploit the preoccupation of Chinese consumers with losing face by stressing how embarrassing and humiliating it is to be caught consuming fakes.
[Date Added: Feb 19, 2009 ]