Abstract
Purpose Very limited research exists examining envy from the viewpoint of an envied consumer, rather than an envier. This paper aims to address this gap by examining whether and how the experience of being envied actually affects consumers. Design/methodology/approach This paper presents three experiments. Study 1 investigates the ambivalent experience of being envied. Study 2 examines the effect of being envied in consumption contexts on consumer satisfaction, analyzing the combined ambivalent effects of positive and negative feelings. It also investigates the moderating role played by consumer coping responses to enviers (mitigation vs exacerbation). Finally, Study 3 applies the hypothesized model in a specific context (i.e. a material possession context), focusing on adult consumers. Findings Results show that negative (e.g. guilt and anxiety) and positive (e.g. sense of well-being and prestige) feelings for being envied depend on the type of relationship between the envier and the envied, and the type of desired object, and consumer satisfaction is driven by the combined ambivalent effects of positive and negative feelings, where coping responses by envied consumers moderate the effects of such feelings on satisfaction. Originality/value This paper makes three main contributions: it extends prior research by highlighting the role of personal relationship factors and the type of object of desire in the experience of being envied; demonstrates that both positive and negative feelings of being envied affect consumer satisfaction; and shows conditions regulating the influence of positive and negative feelings on satisfaction, demonstrating that mitigation strategies decrease the effects of negative feelings on satisfaction, whereas exacerbation strategies failed to regulate the effects of positive feelings.
Highlights
An old ad for Packard automobiles shows a couple watching a red Packard driving by and the headline reads, “Here we are [...] Envying”
Building on this research, where the emotional experience of being envied involves both positive and negative feelings, our research reports three studies illustrating the ambivalent, affective nature of being envied in a consumption context and its effects on consumer satisfaction
We propose that, beyond the mere experience of positive and negative feelings, the subsequent coping actions of envied consumers will moderate the effects of such concerns on their satisfaction in a consumption context
Summary
An old ad for Packard automobiles (circa 1937) shows a couple watching a red Packard driving by and the headline reads, “Here we are [...] Envying”. Building on this research, where the emotional experience of being envied involves both positive and negative feelings, our research reports three studies illustrating the ambivalent, affective nature of being envied in a consumption context and its effects on consumer satisfaction. The boundary conditions of these effects are established showing the moderating roles of the object of desire (material possession vs experience) and of the way consumers respond to enviers. Our research makes both theoretical and empirical contributions, extending the understanding of the experiences of being envied in consumption contexts and their implications for marketers
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