THE FLIP SIDE
By IAN GILLESPIE, The London Free Press
Last Updated: June 26, 2010 12:00am
I know it. You know it. Even that weird, mouth-breathing guy standing way too close behind you in the checkout line knows it.
But now, thanks to researchers at the University of Minnesota, it's official: We can make ourselves feel better by buying fancy brands.
In a new study published in the Journal of Consumer Research (and reported at www.sciencedaily.com), researchers discovered that buying a prestigious brand with an appealing personality, such as Nike or Harley-Davidson, can improve our self-image.
"Using brands with appealing personalities can rub off on the way consumers see themselves, even if the brand is used for only a short time," stated authors Deborah Roedder John and Ji Kyung Park.
For the study, researchers asked a group of women to carry a shopping bag - either a Victoria's Secret shopping bag or a plain one - for an hour while shopping at a mall. Then the women rated themselves on a list of personality traits.
The result? The shoppers who carried the Victoria's Secret bag perceived themselves as more feminine, glamorous and good-looking than those with the plain bag.
In a subsequent experiment, researchers found some people felt smarter when they carried a pen embossed with the logo from super-brainy MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) in Cambridge, Mass. And this was true even after some of the study participants were led to believe they scored poorly on a math test.
So what does this mean for you, me and that mouth-breather in the checkout line?
Well, it means we've got to change the way we shop.
For instance, last month I bought some no-name socks at a cheap outlet store. As I recall, the six-pack of socks cost about six bucks, and within a few weeks they were filled with holes. But did that bother me? No it didn't, because when I wear socks I also wear shoes, so nobody knows if my socks have holes.
So there's no problem, right?
Wrong. Because I'd neglected to consider my subconscious self-esteem.
Because inwardly, you see, I knew I was wearing cheap hose. And now that scientists have conducted some sophisticated experiments with shopping bags, I realize those bargain-basement socks are the reason I continually feel like a no-name washout.
It's clear to me now that if I'd dropped several hundred bucks on a fancy pair of cashmere socks by Ermenegildo Zegna or Moxon Huddersfield or some other high-end company with an unpronounceable name, I would've felt like a can-do, top-of-the-world winner.
OK. But I can hear you asking (so there's no reason to yell): What if I can't afford top-of-the-line socks (or shoes, or soap, or motorcycles or anything). What if I work long and hard but can only afford cheap socks, generic frozen corn niblets and knock-off jeans?
Well, I think it's obvious: Grab a fancy Victoria's Secret shopping bag, stick an MIT pen behind your ear and head for the discount aisle.
Because as science has shown, that's the only way that no-name folks like you and me will ever feel smart and sexy.
From IFPress published on June 26, 2010 12:00am