The Modest Marketer: When Skeptical Consumers Infer Products To Be Longer-Lasting Than Marketers Claim
(A2019-9290)

AUTHORS

Elisa Konya-Baumbach, University of Mannheim; Mathew Isaac, Seattle University

KEYWORDS

benchmarks; skepticism; durability

ABSTRACT

In contrast to the assumption that marketers’ product longevity claims (e.g., “Product X lasts 4 years”) are exaggerated, this research identifies a condition under which skeptical consumers infer these numerical benchmarks to be conservative. Specifically, we show that in repurchase contexts, consumers assume that marketers have strategically selected a modest benchmark to hasten product replacement.