Dispensary Corner 01 Mar 13
March 1, 2013
SURPRISE! Kardashians may not sell.
New research has found that
the use of female celebrities and
models for product promotion
may spark scorn rather than
promote purchasing.
The study, from Warwick
Business School, found that
women turned off products
placed next to 'attractive' images
of female models, but they are
likely to buy the product if the
images are used subtly instead.
“We showed that when
exposure to these images of
beautiful models is subtle, a
sub-conscious automatic process
of upward social comparison
takes place leading to a negative
self-perception,” said lead
researcher Dr Tamara Ansons.
“But that led to a more positive
attitude towards the brand.
“Yet when the exposure to the
idealised image of a woman is
blatant, a conscious process is
activated and consumers employ
defensive coping strategies, ie
they belittle the model or celebrity
to restore a positive perception
of themselves,” she added.
The experiment saw women
exposed to different images, the
first of which was a magazine with a
vodka advertisement on one
page and on the opposite page
was an attractive woman (subtle
exposure), and the other was the
vodka bottle and the woman on
the same page (blatant exposure).
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