What We Pursue by Purchasing Brands:

An Abstract Mindset Leads Consumers to Value Self-Brand Connection in Purchase Decisions

Abstract

Consumers’ purchasing decisions are shaped by personal factors, such as self-brand connection (SBC), and social factors, such as group norms. However, these influences often conflict; for example, a consumer may personally favor Brand A, while their friends recommend Brand B. Previous research has not explored which of these factors prevails in such situations. This study addresses this gap by applying construal level theory to assess whether SBC or social factors are more relevant in brand selection. According to construal level theory, a high-level, abstract mindset leads people to prioritize essential, overarching goals, whereas a low-level, concrete mindset focuses attention on secondary, context-dependent attributes. Across three empirical studies, we found that consumers with an abstract mindset prioritize SBC alone in their purchasing decisions, whereas those with a concrete mindset consider both SBC and social influences. These findings suggest that, fundamentally, consumers prioritize SBC over social norms when making brand purchase decisions.