Abstract
Marketing research on product personality suggests that products possess gender; however, the process by which a product becomes masculine or feminine is unknown. This research identifies product aesthetics as a source of product masculinity and femininity and investigates the influence of product gender created by aesthetics on consumer behavior. Building on prior work on anthropomorphism and evolutionary psychology (EP), the authors broadly hypothesize that specific physical characteristics identified as representing masculinity and femininity-and thus considered attractive in the mate selection process-will have a similar effect on products. The first study identifies the impact of the aesthetic dimensions of form (proportion, shape, and lines), color (tones, contrast, and reflection), and material (texture, surface, and weight) on defining a product's gender. The second study shows that products that are strongly gendered, particularly those that are strong in both the masculine and feminine dimensions, result in positive affective and behavioral responses. Thus, this research identifies product aesthetics as a significant source of product gender while highlighting the theoretical contribution of EP to consumer behavior. Managerial implications for product design are then discussed, offering guidelines for creating strongly gendered products.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 422-437 |
| Number of pages | 16 |
| Journal | Psychology and Marketing |
| Volume | 32 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Apr 1 2015 |
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ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Applied Psychology
- Marketing
Cite this
Beyond "Pink It and Shrink It" Perceived Product Gender, Aesthetics, and Product Evaluation. / van Tilburg, Miriam; Lieven, Theo; Herrmann, Andreas; Townsend, Claudia.
In: Psychology and Marketing, Vol. 32, No. 4, 01.04.2015, p. 422-437.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Beyond "Pink It and Shrink It" Perceived Product Gender, Aesthetics, and Product Evaluation
AU - van Tilburg, Miriam
AU - Lieven, Theo
AU - Herrmann, Andreas
AU - Townsend, Claudia
PY - 2015/4/1
Y1 - 2015/4/1
N2 - Marketing research on product personality suggests that products possess gender; however, the process by which a product becomes masculine or feminine is unknown. This research identifies product aesthetics as a source of product masculinity and femininity and investigates the influence of product gender created by aesthetics on consumer behavior. Building on prior work on anthropomorphism and evolutionary psychology (EP), the authors broadly hypothesize that specific physical characteristics identified as representing masculinity and femininity-and thus considered attractive in the mate selection process-will have a similar effect on products. The first study identifies the impact of the aesthetic dimensions of form (proportion, shape, and lines), color (tones, contrast, and reflection), and material (texture, surface, and weight) on defining a product's gender. The second study shows that products that are strongly gendered, particularly those that are strong in both the masculine and feminine dimensions, result in positive affective and behavioral responses. Thus, this research identifies product aesthetics as a significant source of product gender while highlighting the theoretical contribution of EP to consumer behavior. Managerial implications for product design are then discussed, offering guidelines for creating strongly gendered products.
AB - Marketing research on product personality suggests that products possess gender; however, the process by which a product becomes masculine or feminine is unknown. This research identifies product aesthetics as a source of product masculinity and femininity and investigates the influence of product gender created by aesthetics on consumer behavior. Building on prior work on anthropomorphism and evolutionary psychology (EP), the authors broadly hypothesize that specific physical characteristics identified as representing masculinity and femininity-and thus considered attractive in the mate selection process-will have a similar effect on products. The first study identifies the impact of the aesthetic dimensions of form (proportion, shape, and lines), color (tones, contrast, and reflection), and material (texture, surface, and weight) on defining a product's gender. The second study shows that products that are strongly gendered, particularly those that are strong in both the masculine and feminine dimensions, result in positive affective and behavioral responses. Thus, this research identifies product aesthetics as a significant source of product gender while highlighting the theoretical contribution of EP to consumer behavior. Managerial implications for product design are then discussed, offering guidelines for creating strongly gendered products.
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U2 - 10.1002/mar.20789
DO - 10.1002/mar.20789
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84924731432
VL - 32
SP - 422
EP - 437
JO - Psychology and Marketing
JF - Psychology and Marketing
SN - 0742-6046
IS - 4
ER -