New insights into unethical counterfeit consumption

Bian, Xuemei, Wang, Kai-Yu, Smith, Andrew and Yannopoulou, Natalia (2016) New insights into unethical counterfeit consumption. Journal of Business Research, 69 (10). pp. 4249-4258. ISSN 0148-2963

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Text (Article) JBR Submission 08_15 AS_XM_KW_NY edit_230116.pdf - Accepted Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives 4.0. Download (505kB) | Preview

Abstract

Consumer demand for counterfeit luxury brands is often viewed as “unethical,” but the demand is also robust and growing. The aim of this exploratory research, which employs in-depth interviews, is two-fold: 1) to identify the psychological and emotional insights that both drive and result from the consumption of higher involvement counterfeit goods and 2) to uncover the coping strategies related to unethical counterfeit consumption. This research reveals new psychological motivations (e.g., “thrill of the hunt,” being part of a “secret society” and genuine interest) underlying counterfeit consumption and the associated emotional outcomes (e.g., embarrassment, shame, and positive hedonic gains). This research is also one of the few studies to identify cognitive moral logics by disclosing the neutralization techniques (specifically, denial of responsibility and appealing to higher loyalties) that consumers adopt to cope with the cognitive dissonance associated with debatable counterfeit consumption. The paper contributes to scholarly, managerial, and policy conversations.

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