Masstige and luxury consumption

: the relationship between political attitude, dark triad, technology propensity, and masstige/luxury products

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to examine how people with dark personality traits, such as narcissism, machiavellianism, and psychopathy, are influenced by luxury brands that are marketed to the middle class. This phenomenon is known as masstige marketing. The study uses current sources from trade journals and models from the 20th and 21st centuries and a survey (2023) to investigate the relationship between the Dark Triad, Technology Adoption Propensity, Political Attitude, and Masstige Brands.The paper's findings indicate that only Porsche, Rolex, and Mercedes can be classified as masstige brands. Additionally, the research reveals a noticeable correlation between Tesla and all three Dark Triad personality traits, which can eventually be attributed to the relationship between the consumer and the CEO, Elon Musk. Furthermore, the study highlights a connection between psychopaths and the perception of coffee as a masstige product. Lastly, the Dark Triad impacts voting behavior, with machiavellianism leading to extreme voting behavior and psychopathy being linked to right-wing voting behavior. The research aims to contribute to the academic literature on the impact of dark personality traits on masstige marketing, political attitude, and technology adoption propensity. The interdisciplinary approach in this Master's thesis will hopefully lead to a better understanding of these phenomena. This research will be particularly relevant to students studying marketing and business administration and teachers in strategic marketing and automotive, coffee, and watch manufacturers.

Date of Award	29 Jun 2023
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Daniel Fernandes (Supervisor)