Wednesday, November 30, 2011
This is an interesting article on status seekers. They will pay more to get luxury goods that set them apart but in the end they might not achieve the status they are seeking. It is something that merchants and marketers have known intuitively. The studies reinforce their insights. From PR perspective, status is something we work with constantly. There is a powerful urge to belong to groups and to avoid the label of outsider. One communications technique is to form groups that are set apart through their knowledge and/or economic circumstances. The self-esteem of members of the group makes message-sending easier. But, as the article explains, there are downsides for doing so.