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I am not like them: A terror management theory perspective on the consumer separation tendency of pet profile images

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  • Liu, Yongdan
  • Liu, Matthew Tingchi
  • Ma, Yutong

Abstract

Despite increasing trends of influencers using pet elements to pursue business benefits, little attention has been paid to understanding their harmful effects. According to the Terror Management Theory, this research aimed to fill this gap by exploring how mortality salience reduced the effectiveness of influencers with pet profile images. On the basis of four experiments, we found that mortality salience hurt consumer's attitude toward them because increased anxiety about physical death led consumers to perceive less similarity and separate from pet images. Furthermore, the above negative effect on consumer's attitude was reversed by their posts disclosing worldviews (a sense of meaning transcending death), which provided consumers with an effective defense tool against fear of mortality.

Suggested Citation

  • Liu, Yongdan & Liu, Matthew Tingchi & Ma, Yutong, 2025. "I am not like them: A terror management theory perspective on the consumer separation tendency of pet profile images," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 85(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:joreco:v:85:y:2025:i:c:s0969698925000189
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jretconser.2025.104239
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