The impact of age stereotype threats on older consumers' intention to buy masstige brand products

Abstract This study explores the relationship between old‐age stereotyping and older consumers' masstige product consumption, specifically, their intention to purchase masstige brand products, with a focus on their motivational drives from an identity‐signaling perspective. We surveyed 533 people aged 54 to 64 years in South Korea. Structural equation modeling was used to analyse the mediating effect, and hierarchical regression analysis was applied to test the moderating effect. Our results indicated that among older consumers in South Korea who felt threatened by old‐age stereotypes, intention to purchase masstige brands was high. Their dissociative motivation, that is, their motivation to dissociate from their age group, and the symbolic value of masstige brands as signifiers of a youthful, desirable identity were found to mediate both the threat of old‐age stereotyping and intention to purchase masstige brands. Furthermore, we found that interdependent older consumers were more sensitive to old‐age stereotyping and had a stronger motivation to dissociate from the “old‐age” group. The findings offer insights into masstige brand consumption by older South Korean consumers that may be useful for both academics and marketers.