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Publications
  • January 2023
  • Article
  • Journal of the Association for Consumer Research

Calculators for Women: When Identity-Based Appeals Backfire

By: Tami Kim, Kate Barasz, Michael I. Norton and Leslie K. John
  • Format:Print
  • | Pages:11
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Abstract

From “Chick Beer” to “Dryer Sheets for Men,” identity-based labeling is frequently deployed by marketers to appeal to specific target markets. Yet such identity appeals can backfire, alienating the very consumers they aim to attract. We theorize and empirically demonstrate in five studies that identity appeals lead to consumer avoidance when they evoke a stereotype about a marginalized identity: females in Studies 1-3, racial minorities in Studies 4 and 5. We identify categorization threat—the feeling of being unwillingly categorized as (and reduced to) a single identity—as a critical driver underlying consumer reactions to identity appeals. The negative impact of identity appeals is mitigated in situations in which categorization threat is less likely to be activated: (a) when multiple identities are evoked, preventing consumers from feeling reduced to a single identity, and (b) when targeting by identity is seen as necessary for differentiating product offerings.

Keywords

Categorization Threat; Stereotypes; Identity; Labels; Gender; Perception; Consumer Behavior

Citation

Kim, Tami, Kate Barasz, Michael I. Norton, and Leslie K. John. "Calculators for Women: When Identity-Based Appeals Backfire." Special Issue on Racism and Discrimination in the Marketplace edited by Samantha N. N. Cross and Stephanie Dellande. Journal of the Association for Consumer Research 8, no. 1 (January 2023): 72–82.
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About The Authors

Michael I. Norton

Negotiation, Organizations & Markets
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Leslie K. John

Negotiation, Organizations & Markets
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More from the Authors
  • Measuring the Prevalence of Sensitive Behaviors By: Tamar Krishnamurti and Leslie John
  • The Agreeable Revealer: Personality Correlates of Self-Disclosure By: Elinora Pentcheva and Leslie John
  • Should I Stay or Should I Disclose? How Omission Bias Guides Our Disclosure Decisions By: Elinora Pentcheva and Leslie John
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