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Celebrity Contagion and the Value of Objects

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  • George E. Newman
  • Gil Diesendruck
  • Paul Bloom

Abstract

Why do people purchase objects that were once owned by celebrities, such as film stars or politicians, and also by despised individuals, such as serial killers and notorious dictators? The present studies examine three potential explanations: mere associations, market demands, and contagion (the belief that these objects contain some remnants of their previous owners). Results indicate that while market demands do play a role, contagion appears to be the critical factor affecting the valuation of celebrity possessions. Manipulating the degree of physical contact that a celebrity has with an object dramatically influences consumers' willingness to purchase it, and individual differences in sensitivity to contagion moderate this effect. Additionally, the valuation of celebrity possessions is principally explained by measures of contagion, and subliminally activating the concept of contagion changes consumers' willingness to purchase celebrity objects. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • George E. Newman & Gil Diesendruck & Paul Bloom, 2011. "Celebrity Contagion and the Value of Objects," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 38(2), pages 215-228.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:jconrs:doi:10.1086/658999
    DOI: 10.1086/658999
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    Cited by:

    1. Schindler, Robert M. & Minton, Elizabeth A., 2022. "What becomes sacred to the consumer: Implications for marketers," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 151(C), pages 355-365.
    2. Logkizidou, Maria & Bottomley, Paul & Angell, Rob & Evanschitzky, Heiner, 2019. "Why Museological Merchandise Displays Enhance Luxury Product Evaluations: An Extended Art Infusion Effect," Journal of Retailing, Elsevier, vol. 95(1), pages 67-82.
    3. repec:cup:judgdm:v:13:y:2018:i:5:p:441-450 is not listed on IDEAS
    4. Reynolds-McIlnay, Ryann & Morrin, Maureen & Nordfält, Jens, 2017. "How Product–Environment Brightness Contrast and Product Disarray Impact Consumer Choice in Retail Environments," Journal of Retailing, Elsevier, vol. 93(3), pages 266-282.
    5. Podoshen, Jeffrey S., 2013. "Dark tourism motivations: Simulation, emotional contagion and topographic comparison," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 35(C), pages 263-271.
    6. Liu, Stephanie Q. & Choi, Sungwoo & Mattila, Anna S., 2019. "Love is in the menu: Leveraging healthy restaurant brands with handwritten typeface," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 98(C), pages 289-298.
    7. Kramer, Thomas & Block, Lauren G., 2014. "Like Mike: Ability contagion through touched objects increases confidence and improves performance," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 124(2), pages 215-228.
    8. Natalie O. Fedotova & Paul Rozin, 2018. "Contamination, association, or social communication: An examination of alternative accounts for contagion effects," Judgment and Decision Making, Society for Judgment and Decision Making, vol. 13(2), pages 150-162, March.
    9. Dion, Delphine & Arnould, Eric, 2011. "Retail Luxury Strategy: Assembling Charisma through Art and Magic," Journal of Retailing, Elsevier, vol. 87(4), pages 502-520.
    10. repec:cup:judgdm:v:13:y:2018:i:2:p:150-162 is not listed on IDEAS
    11. H. Bodur & Ting Gao & Bianca Grohmann, 2014. "The Ethical Attribute Stigma: Understanding When Ethical Attributes Improve Consumer Responses to Product Evaluations," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 122(1), pages 167-177, June.
    12. Hélia Gonçalves Pereira & António Carvalho & Sofia Lopes Portela, 2015. "The Managerial and Economic Effects of Celebrity Endorsement on Consumer Purchasing Intentions," International Journal of Finance, Insurance and Risk Management, International Journal of Finance, Insurance and Risk Management, vol. 5(2), pages 898-898.
    13. Wei, Xiaoyong & Jung, Sojin & Choi, Tsan-Ming, 2022. "Share it or buy it? Exploring the effects of product brand attachment on commercial sharing services," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 153(C), pages 115-127.
    14. Jungkeun Kim, 2017. "The ownership distance effect: the impact of traces left by previous owners on the evaluation of used goods," Marketing Letters, Springer, vol. 28(4), pages 591-605, December.
    15. Katina Kulow & Thomas Kramer, 2016. "In Pursuit of Good Karma: When Charitable Appeals to Do Right Go Wrong," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 43(2), pages 334-353.
    16. Paul Rozin & Christopher Dunn & Natalie Fedotova, 2018. "Reversing the causal arrow: Incidence and properties of negative backward magical contagion in Americans," Judgment and Decision Making, Society for Judgment and Decision Making, vol. 13(5), pages 441-450, September.
    17. Danwa, Alif, 2022. "Kim Kardashian: A Marketing Mastermind," Thesis Commons re32g, Center for Open Science.
    18. Zhang, Jing & Lee, Eun-Ju, 2022. "“Two Rivers” brain map for social media marketing: Reward and information value drivers of SNS consumer engagement," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 149(C), pages 494-505.
    19. Kevin YC Chung & Timothy P. Derdenger & Kannan Srinivasan, 2013. "Economic Value of Celebrity Endorsements: Tiger Woods' Impact on Sales of Nike Golf Balls," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 32(2), pages 271-293, March.

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