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The Envy Premium in Product Evaluation

Author

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  • Niels Van de Ven
  • Marcel Zeelenberg
  • Rik Pieters

Abstract

Consumers are willing to pay a premium for products that elicit their envy. The more people compared themselves to a superior other, the higher the envy premium was. Yet, the emotion envy and not the upward comparison drove the final effects. The envy premium only emerged for a desirable product that the superior other owned (iPhone) when people experienced benign envy. Benign envy is elicited when the other's superior position is deserved, and malicious envy when it is undeserved. When people experienced malicious envy, the envy premium emerged for a desirable product that the superior other did not own (BlackBerry). This shows how benign envy places a premium on keeping up, and malicious envy on moving away from, superior others.

Suggested Citation

  • Niels Van de Ven & Marcel Zeelenberg & Rik Pieters, 2011. "The Envy Premium in Product Evaluation," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 37(6), pages 984-998.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:jconrs:doi:10.1086/657239
    DOI: 10.1086/657239
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    Cited by:

    1. Pasirayi, Simba & Grebitus, Carola, 2016. "The Consumer Paradox: Why Bottom-Tier Consumers Are Loyal To Brand Names," 2016 Annual Meeting, July 31-August 2, Boston, Massachusetts 236070, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    2. Wang, Le & Luo, Xin (Robert) & Li, Han, 2022. "Envy or conformity? An empirical investigation of peer influence on the purchase of non-functional items in mobile free-to-play games," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 147(C), pages 308-324.
    3. Ferreira, Kirla & Botelho, Delane, 2021. "(Un)deservingness distinctions impact envy subtypes: Implications for brand attitude and choice," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 125(C), pages 89-102.
    4. Primidya K. M. Soesilo & Maureen L. Morrin & Nese Nur Yazgan Onuklu, 2021. "No longer green with envy: Objectifying and destroying negative consumer emotions," Journal of Consumer Affairs, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 55(3), pages 1111-1138, September.
    5. Zheng, Xiaoying & Baskin, Ernest & Peng, Siqing, 2018. "Feeling inferior, showing off: The effect of nonmaterial social comparisons on conspicuous consumption," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 90(C), pages 196-205.
    6. Loureiro, Sandra Maria Correia & de Plaza, Maria Alejandra Pinero & Taghian, Mehdi, 2020. "The effect of benign and malicious envies on desire to buy luxury fashion items," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 52(C).
    7. Park, Jeong-Yeol & Jang, SooCheong (Shawn), 2015. "You got a free upgrade? What about me? The consequences of unearned preferential treatment," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 59-68.
    8. Park, Joowon & Banker, Sachin & Masters, Tamara & Yu-Buck, Grace, 2023. "Person vs. purchase comparison: how material and experiential purchases evoke consumption-related envy in others," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 165(C).
    9. Balabanis, George & Stathopoulou, Anastasia, 2021. "The price of social status desire and public self-consciousness in luxury consumption," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 123(C), pages 463-475.
    10. Xinni Wei & Feng Yu, 2022. "Envy and Environmental Decision Making: The Mediating Role of Self-Control," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(2), pages 1-11, January.
    11. Simona Romani & Giacomo Gistri & Stefano Pace, 2012. "When counterfeits raise the appeal of luxury brands," Marketing Letters, Springer, vol. 23(3), pages 807-824, September.
    12. Hoyer, Karlijn & Zeisberger, Stefan & Breugelmans, Seger M. & Zeelenberg, Marcel, 2023. "A culture of greed: Bubble formation in experimental asset markets with greedy and non-greedy traders," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 212(C), pages 32-52.
    13. Zhang, Mingyue & Zhao, Haichuan & Chen, Haipeng (Allan), 2022. "How much is a picture worth? Online review picture background and its impact on purchase intention," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 139(C), pages 134-144.
    14. Jifeng Mu & Jonathan Z. Zhang, 2021. "Seller marketing capability, brand reputation, and consumer journeys on e-commerce platforms," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 49(5), pages 994-1020, September.
    15. Russell Belk, 2011. "Benign envy," AMS Review, Springer;Academy of Marketing Science, vol. 1(3), pages 117-134, December.
    16. Suárez Vázquez, Ana & Dub, Li & del Río Lanza, Ana Belén, 2020. "Word of mouth: How upward social comparisons influence the sharing of consumption experiences," MPRA Paper 120089, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    17. Kashmala Latif & Muhammad Yousaf Malik & Abdul Hameed Pitafi & Shamsa Kanwal & Zara Latif, 2020. "If You Travel, I Travel: Testing a Model of When and How Travel-Related Content Exposure on Facebook Triggers the Intention to Visit a Tourist Destination," SAGE Open, , vol. 10(2), pages 21582440209, May.
    18. Lembregts, Christophe & Pandelaere, Mario, 2014. ""A 20% income increase for everyone?": The effect of relative increases in income on perceived income inequality," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 37-47.
    19. Chen, Feier & Liu, Stephanie Q. & Mattila, Anna S., 2020. "Bragging and humblebragging in online reviews," Annals of Tourism Research, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).
    20. Hanna Krasnova & Thomas Widjaja & Peter Buxmann & Helena Wenninger & Izak Benbasat, 2015. "Research Note—Why Following Friends Can Hurt You: An Exploratory Investigation of the Effects of Envy on Social Networking Sites among College-Age Users," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 26(3), pages 585-605, September.

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