Attitudes and intentions toward masstige strategies: A cross-cultural study of French and Chinese consumers

The present research investigates how masstige strategies affect consumers' attitudes toward masstige and their intention to purchase masstige brands. An exploratory qualitative study and two experimental designs compared the response of consumers from two nationalities—Chinese and Franch. Chinese consumers generally express a more positive attitude and higher purchase intention toward masstige than French. The article further disentangles the role of the masstige strategy (accessory vs. sub-brand) by accounting for self-construal. Chinese consumers recognize the prestige of the parent brand in masstige sub-brands more than French consumers, and exhibited a more positive attitude and higher purchase intention toward said sub-brands. Meanwhile, French consumers were more accepting of masstige in the form of new product lines, such as accessories. From a managerial standpoint, companies need to tailor their masstige messaging to different consumer targets: for instance, by emphasizing durability and status for Chinese consumers, but intrinsic luxury values for French consumers.