An investigation of the role of conspicuous consumption orientation and brand prominence in luxury brands’ communication

The present research focuses on one important element of luxury goods communication that has not received adequate attention in past research: the type of language used in promotional messages. In particular, this study considers the marketing effects of using relatively more abstract versus concrete language. More importantly, the present research investigates the moderating role of a consumer- and a product-related factor in the relationship between language type and consumers’ attitudes toward and willingness to buy luxury goods. The results of three experiments demonstrate that abstract language increases perceptions of brand luxuriousness – and, in turn, consumers’ attitudes toward the brand and willingness to buy– compared to concrete language. Moreover, our results show that this effect is more likely to occur for consumers who present lower levels of conspicuous consumption orientation as well as for products characterized by low prominence of the brand logo.