Across seven experiments, my dissertation examines the effect of product anthropomorphism on product perceptions and consumer states. The notion of anthropomorphism is pervasive in marketing communication, with advertising frequently seeking to endow products with human-like appeal. However, research on when and how consumers anthropomorphize products and on the likely consequences of this process remains at a relatively early stage.

The first set of experiments of my thesis examines when consumers anthropomorphize products and what type of humans are the products perceived as being. In contrast to previous consumer research, which has primarily studied anthropomorphizing through cognitive perspectives, I propose and test a trait-specific motivational view of product anthropom...[ Read more ]

Across seven experiments, my dissertation examines the effect of product anthropomorphism on product perceptions and consumer states. The notion of anthropomorphism is pervasive in marketing communication, with advertising frequently seeking to endow products with human-like appeal. However, research on when and how consumers anthropomorphize products and on the likely consequences of this process remains at a relatively early stage.

The first set of experiments of my thesis examines when consumers anthropomorphize products and what type of humans are the products perceived as being. In contrast to previous consumer research, which has primarily studied anthropomorphizing through cognitive perspectives, I propose and test a trait-specific motivational view of product anthropomorphizing. Previous research on psychology suggests that two key motives – the need to stay socially connected (sociality motive) and the need to control one’s environment (effectance motive) – both induce anthropomorphizing. Integrating this premise with the literature on motivated perception and that on brand personality, I propose and show that although both motives lead consumers to anthropomorphize, they differ in terms of the specific humanlike traits with which the product is endowed. As a way of satisfying salient needs, the sociality (effectance) motive leads people to perceive products as being warm (dependable). I also identify a boundary condition for the influence of product anthropomorphism on product perceptions.

Beyond the effect of anthropomorphism on product perceptions, my dissertation also investigates how consumers get transformed through the anthropomorphizing process. I show that the negative feeling states that induce the anthropomorphizing process to begin with are reduced by the act of anthropomorphizing – lonely people feel less lonely, and helpless people feel less helpless. Thus, in some sense, anthropomorphizing products provides emotional succor to the consumer. Moreover, by restoring the sense of connectedness and competence, anthropomorphizing benefits consumers’ subjective vitality, which, in turn, exerts a positive effect on consumers’ regulatory resources. Finally, the trait-specific account has implications for product positioning. When the same target product is positioned alongside a trait that matches (vs. mismatches) the anthropomorphizing motive, consumers display a heightened approach tendency, which is manifested in a higher willingness to pay.