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The effects of endorsers' facial expressions on status perceptions and purchase intentions

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  • Chen, Yunqing
  • Wyer, Robert S.

Abstract

The facial expressions that endorsers convey in a print ad can influence consumers' reactions to the product being advertised. This effect, which is mediated by perceptions of the endorsers' social status, depends on whether the endorser is male or female. Consumers expect endorsers' facial expressions to conform to normative expectations for how men and women present themselves to others and they attribute high social status to those whose expressions deviate from these expectations. Thus, they perceive smiling male endorsers to have high status but smiling female endorsers to have low status. These perceptions, which are independent of warmth and competence, influence consumers' willingness to purchase products whose social prestige value is unknown a priori. Five experiments confirm these conclusions and demonstrate their implications for actual purchase behavior.

Suggested Citation

  • Chen, Yunqing & Wyer, Robert S., 2020. "The effects of endorsers' facial expressions on status perceptions and purchase intentions," International Journal of Research in Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 37(2), pages 371-385.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:ijrema:v:37:y:2020:i:2:p:371-385
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ijresmar.2019.10.002
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Vahid Ashrafimoghari & Jordan W. Suchow, 2022. "A Game-theoretic Model of the Consumer Behavior Under Pay-What-You-Want Pricing Strategy," Papers 2207.08923, arXiv.org.
    2. Bernhard Swoboda & Carolina Sinning, 2021. "Endorsement of Global Product Brands by Global Corporate Brands – A Consumer Perspective Across Nations," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 61(4), pages 563-598, August.
    3. Pedro Almeida & Paulo Rita & Diego Costa Pinto & Márcia Herter, 2024. "The power of facial expressions in branding: can emojis versus human faces shape emotional contagion and brand fun?," Journal of Brand Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 31(5), pages 543-556, September.
    4. Zhang, Ning & Fan, Xing & He, LiFeng & Cheng, Xin & Zhang, Liang & Liu, Rong, 2024. "The impact of the Seller's facial image on consumer purchase behavior in peer-to-peer accommodation platforms," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).

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