Purpose: Current study aimed at exploring the roles of system justification in the effects of consumers’ self-identification with the threatened social in-group on the within-domain versus across-domain consumption. It focused on whether there are positive effects of both of the self-definition and the self-investment on the in-group system justification, and also explored whether the system justification, in turn, could make positive effects on the consumption. Research design, data and methodology: The self-identification was approached in view of self-definition and self-investment when the in-group was threatened by members of their out group. The empirical study was performed with the single factor within-subject design based on the feeling of the consumers’ being threatened when the ingroup was criticized by the others. The in-group threatened was accessed from the memory of each of the undergraduate students participating in the empirical study by asking them to remember the events by which their important in-group was perceived to be threatened in their past life. Questionnaire data collected from the undergraduate students were used to verify research hypotheses by structural equation model in Amos 21.0 program. Results: First, the self-definition positively affected the within-domain versus acrossdomain consumption, but did not affect the in-group system justification. Second, the self-investment positively affected the in-group system justification. Third, the system justification made positive effects on the within-domain versus the across-domain consumption. Therefore, this article could contribute to the development of the theory related to compensatory consumption in the view that there could be the positive mediation roles of system justification in the effects of consumers’ self-investment to their in-group on the within-domain versus across-domain consumption when the in-group is threatened. Conclusions: The results of this study could give managerial implications to brand or product marketing managers. How to vitalize consumers’ self-definition with, and self-investment to, the threatened in-group is at issue to the marketers when consumers’ important in-group was threatened by others. By evoking the in-groupbased self-investment to consumers when the in-group was threatened, the marketers should increase the level of the system justification, and the marketers should promote the consumers to recognize that their products or brands are included into the within-self domain.

Purpose: Current study aimed at exploring the effects of ambient anger versus sadness on motive type and coping strategy type when consumers make decision. It focused on whether the negative affects of the anger and the sadness differentially induce approach versus avoidance motive at the place of making decision, and also explored the coping strategy differences between the consumers under the anger and those under the sadness, that is, which strategy is more used between problem-focused strategy and affect-focused strategy when they are under each negative affect. Research design, data and methodology: The experimental groups were divided into two types of group such as the anger-felt group and the sadness-felt group. The experiment was performed with the between-subjects design based on the anger and the sadness. Questionnaire data were collected from undergraduate students assigned to each of the anger group and the sadness group operated by the scenario method, and the data were used to verify research hypotheses by t-test. Results: – First, the anger induced the approach motive more rather than the avoidance motive in making decision. Second, to cope the negative affects, consumers under the anger used problem-focused strategy more than affect-focused strategy, while those under the sadness used affectfocused strategy more than problem-focused strategy. Therefore, this article contributes to the theory related to motive and making decision taken place to consumers under ambient negative emotions. Conclusions: Focusing on the results of this study, there could be managerial implications to brand or product marketing managers. Checking which affect consumers previously felt between anger and sadness when they are under negative affects is at issue to the brand or product marketers when they appeal their brand or product to the consumers. The marketers should build and communicate the messages about their product or brand in the respect of the points of showing problem solution or the best way to handle things to appeal the consumers under the anger. And they should develop and communicate the messages about their product or brand emphasizing the aspects of letting consumers‟ sad feelings out somehow or controlling their emotions to the consumers under sadness.

This research aimed at studying the role of self-enhancing imagery and self goal-achievement emotion in the effect of characteristics perceived at advertisements using multisensory cues on purchase intention. Sports shoes advertisement was selected as an empirical research object. Questionnaire survey method was used to collect data. ‘WenJuanXing’ site was used to make the questionnaire in Chinese, and it was loaded on WeChat and QQ. 260 participants from different regions of China participated in online questionnaire survey. The results of testing the hypotheses by structural equation model in Amos 21.0 program are summarized as followings. The congruency between multisensory cues and self-discrepancy awareness positively evoked the self-enhancing imagery and the self goal-achievement emotion. The object relevance between the consumer and the product advertised did not induce the emotion, but evoked the self-enhancing imagery. Both of the self-enhancing imagery and the self goal-achievement emotion had positive effects on the product purchase intention. When developing advertisement, marketers should focus on multisensory cues’ characteristics to enhance the self-enhancing imageries as well as to help feel the goal-achievement emotion. They should pay attention to the ways by which the multisensory cues’ characteristics used to develop advertisement can be perceived to be congruent with each other by consumers.

Purpose: This study aimed at exploring the product choice tendency differences between the consciousness and unconsciousness of goal orientation when product attributes is perceived to be compatible with the goal orientation. Research design, data and methodology: Empirical study used a 2 (goal conscious vs. unconscious) × 3 (hedonic vs. performance vs. reliability attribute) between-subjects design and one control group. To verify hypotheses, χ²-test was conducted to 320 questionnaire data answered by undergraduate students of Jiangxi Normal University in China. Results: First, consumers under unconscious condition showed a higher product choice consistency based on compatibility between hedonic (performance) attribute of the product and their hedonic (performance) promotion goal-orientation than those under the conscious condition. Second, product choice effects of compatibility between reliability attribute of the product and prevention goal orientation were not significantly different between consumers’ consciousness and unconsciousness of their prevention goal orientation. Conclusions: Marketers of ‘under dog’ should try to develop and deliver the product attributes different from the attributes of ‘top dog.’ And the ‘top dog’ marketers should help their customers to avoid the conflicts by developing the environment of inducing their goal orientation unconsciously. Brand marketers should always pay attention to the reliability attributes concerned with the prevention goal orientation.

Current study focused on investigating the effects of the self-dissociation as a thought in which consumers dis-identify or dissociate with the threatened in-group and the escapism as a tendency of consumers’ distracting themselves and avoiding their thoughts about the in-group under severe but adoptable criticism by turning their attention elsewhere on across-domain compensatory consumption intention. And It explored not only the positive roles of undesirability thought against the in-group in consumers’ forming the self-dissociation and the escapism, but also the effects of negative emotion to the in-group felt at the place of being exposed to the criticism against the in-group on the escapism. Research design, data, and methodology: The experiment was performed with the in-group-threatening single factor within-subject design. Questionnaire data were collected from 196 undergraduate students, and the data were used to testing research hypotheses by structural equation model of Amos 21.0. Results: First, both the self-dissociation of consumers’ dis-identifying with the in-group criticized severely by others and the escapism of their deliberately directing their thoughts and distracting their attention away from thinking the in-group positively influenced on the across-domain compensatory consumption intention. Second, the negative emotion positively influenced on the escapism. Third, the undesirability thought to the in-group under the severe criticism positively effected on the self-dissociation as well as the escapism. Putting in the nutshell, the findings of this study are consistent with the idea that consumers can overcome the negative selfdiscrepancy on one dimension of their social identity by distracting themselves and avoiding thinking about the threatened in-group to find meaning on another dimension which might lead them to the place of doing the across-domain compensatory consumption. Conclusions - Focusing on the results of this study, checking which aspects of consumers’ social identity are linked to products or brands is at issue to marketers when the consumers are faced with the criticism against the in-group. The marketers should build the messages about their products or brand not related to the checked aspects, and communicate the messages, to lead the consumers to the place of doing the across-domain compensatory consumption by their products or brands.

Purpose - Current study aimed at investigating the effects of the choice easiness as a thought triggered at the time of making decision and the goal achievement emotion as a prediction of how consumers feel in the state of achieving consumption goal on brand purchase intention. And It also explored moderation role of incidental pride type such as ambient hubris pride and ambient authentic pride felt before the event in the effects of message type such as self-verifying message and self-enhancing message on the choice easiness and the goal achievement emotion. Research design, data, and methodology - Message type was divided into self-verifying message and self-enhancing message. Incidental pride type was divided into hubris and authentic pride. Smart mobile phone was selected for empirical study. And the experiment was performed with 2(pride type: hubristic versus authentic) × 2(message type: self-verifying message versus self-enhancing message) between-subjects design. Questionnaires from 215 undergraduate students were used to test hypotheses by Macro process model 7. The hypotheses were tested at each of self-verifying message group and self-enhancing message group. Results - First, both choice easiness and goal achievement emotion positively influenced on the purchase intention at both self-verifying message group and self-enhancing message group. Second, at self-verifying message group, the positive effects of self verification on both choice easiness and goal achievement emotion were higher to the customers under incidental hubris pride than to those under incidental authentic pride customers. Third, at self-enhancing message group, the positive effects of self enhancement on goal achievement emotion were higher to the customers under incidental authentic pride than to those under incidental hubris pride. However, at self-enhancing message group, the positive effects of self enhancement on choice easiness (goal achievement emotion) were not higher (higher) to the customers under incidental authentic pride than to those under incidental hubris pride. Conclusions - Focusing on the results of this study, to promote their brand purchase intention, brand managers should use self-enhancing message to induce goal achievement emotion from incidental authentic pride customers. And the brand managers should develop and use self-verifying message to induce choice easiness as well as goal achievement emotion from hubris pride customers, which in turn, promote their brand purchase intention.

Compared with the research on consumer engagement in brand community, the research on consumer engagement in brand public has been relatively less. This research aimed at exploring how brand public characteristics such as information variety, various communications and no limitation in expressing self affect the brand public engagement. 274 questionnaires answered by Chinese consumers are used to conduct analysis. Principal component analysis is used to test the reliability and validity of each construct, and structural equation model is used to test hypotheses. The study finds the positive effects of information variety on information benefits, those of various communications on social benefits, and also positive roles of no limitation in expressing self to brand-related self-expression motivation. And each of the information benefits, social benefits and brand-related self-expression motivation is proved to positively affect brand public engagement. The study implies that marketers should give attention to characteristics of brand public, and provide the ways by which members of brand public engage the brand. Additionally, marketers should pay more attention to both direct and indirect engagement activities of consumers toward brand public in social media to better understand their target consumers.

Purpose - Present study aimed at investigating the factors that may affect consumers' decision confidence and decision comfort inducing choice commitment taken place at the stage of post-decision/pre-outcome. This study explored whether there are positive effects of dominance and instrumentality of chosen product on the decision confidence, and also identified whether there are positive effects of choice easiness and goal achievement-related affect felt at the chosen product on the decision comfort. Research design, data, and methodology – Portable digital camera as experimental product was used. 260 data were collected from college students. Four were removed from the analyses because they did not complete the questionnaire. Eighteen were removed because they indicated not experiencing the camera in the past. 238 data were used at the analyses to verify hypotheses by structural equation model in AMOS 21.0. Results - First, both of the consumers' decision confidence and decision comfort positively affected choice commitment. Second, the dominance as well as the instrumentality had positive impact upon the decision confidence. Third, the choice easiness and goal achievement-related affect felt at the chosen product had positive impact on the decision comfort. In sum, present study identified the mediation roles of the decision confidence in the effects of both dominance and instrumentality of the chosen product on forming choice commitment, and also found the mediation roles of the decision comfort in the effects of choice easiness and goal achievement-related affect felt at the product on forming choice commitment. Conclusions - Focusing on the stage of post-decision/pre-outcome in decision making process, present study contributes to advancing the choice commitment theories by exploring the positive effects of both dominance and instrumentality of chosen product on the decision confidence, and by finding the positive effects of both choice easiness and goal achievement-related affect felt at the chosen product on the decision comfort. Marketers should promote their products’ dominance and instrumentality by showing the superior roles of their product attributes in achieving consumption goal, and should help consumers feel comfort by making choice process easier and giving information that could help feel the goal achievement-related affect at their product chosen.

Purpose - Present research aimed at identifying the effects of ambient pride type on judgement difference between existing preference and final preference formed after being exposed to the preference inconsistent information from others representing a conflict between consumer’s own perspective and the others’ perspective. And this study also explored the roles of empathic concerns and motive type in the ambient pride type’s effects on the judgement difference. Research design, data, and methodology - 2(information type: consistent versus inconsistent) × 2(pride type: hubristic versus authentic) between-subjects design was employed. Data for empirical analysis were from 252 undergraduate students who participated in questionnaire survey. To verify hypotheses, Anova and regression analysis were used. Results - First, there was the judgement difference among the experimental groups. The difference was greater at the authentic pride group than at the hubristic pride group. And the difference was greater at the inconsistent information group than at the consistent information group. The interaction effect of pride type and information type was significant. Second, when consumers who had made their preference were exposed to the inconsistent information from other, those of the hubristic pride group showed more defense motive and less empathic concerns than those of the authentic pride group. And there were the mediation roles of the empathic concerns and the interaction roles of the motive type in the effects of pride type on the judgement difference. Third, the self validity did not affect the difference even that become increased by defense motive rather than accuracy motive. Conclusions - This research could advance the information processing theory related to pride type by exploring the effects of the pride type on judgement difference between existing preference and final preference formed by the inconsistent information from others, and by identifying the mediation roles of the empathic concerns and the interaction roles of the motive type in the effects of the pride type. In view of the results from current study, marketers should make efforts of inducing defense motive and developing and communicating the consistent information to persuade consumers under hubristic pride who have the belief that attributes of their brand are better than those of the competitors’ brand, and they also should conduct marketing acts by using the inconsistent information to persuade consumers under authentic pride who have the belief that attributes of the competitors’ brand are better than those of their brand.

Purpose - When indulging in hedonic items is construed as wasteful and evokes anticipated regret or guilt, consumers are more likely to seek reasons to justify their indulgence. Justification requirement for spending on indulgences over necessities could lead to the places of their finding the ways that mitigate the anticipated regret and guilt. However the previous research focusing on consumers’ own great effort leading to positive outcomes has not given much attention to other’s outcomes induced from his or her little or no efforts, by which consumers could feel envy. The guilt associated with consumers’ indulgence could vary according to envy type felt according to their evaluation about other’s outcomes and their self construal level. Current research explored the envy type’s effects on consumers’ spending on hedonic products, and moderation effects of self construal level on the envy type’s effects. Research design, data, and methodology – 2(envy type: benign versus malicious) × 2(self construal level: high versus low) between-subjects design was employed. Data for empirical analysis were from 173 undergraduate participants. ANOVA was used to verify hypotheses. Results – The tendency of choosing utilitarian product versus hedonic product was moderated by the envy type. The participants who felt benign envy were more likely to choose utilitarian product versus hedonic product than those who felt malicious envy were. And the tendency of benign envy-felt participants’ choosing hedonic versus utilitarian product was more weakened to those with lower-level self construal than to those with higher-level self construal. However the tendency of malicious envy-felt participants’ choosing hedonic versus utilitarian product was not moderated by the self construal level. Conclusions – This research could advance the theory related to indulgent hedonic consumption by exploring the effects of self construal level and envy type on hedonic indulgence. In view of the results from current study, marketers should make efforts of communicating and selling utilitarian products to persuade consumers with lower-level construal when they feel benign envy to others. And they should conduct marketing acts for hedonic products to persuade consumers when they feel malicious envy to others.