This dissertation creates a theoretical framework designed to understand how consumers react when their brand preferences are not congruent with the preferences of their reference group. Past research on reference group influence has largely focused on how groups influence an individual’s decision to conform or not conform to the preferences of the group. Group identification has been viewed as the main determinant as to whether an individual would conform or not conform to their group’s normative expectations. However, this research fails to consider an individual’s behaviors when they do not agree with the preferences of the group. While some research from sociology and psychology has identified possible behavioral responses that an individual may engage in when their brand preferences are not congruent with those of their reference group, this research is incomplete. This dissertation creates a framework to understand when specific types of nonconformist and conformist behavioral responses will be employed under conditions of normative conflict. Moreover, past research has failed to consider behavioral responses that go beyond conforming and not conforming to explore the possibility that an individual may choose to hide their consumption from their reference group in response to conflicting brand preferences. By hiding one’s consumption behavior, an individual maintains the appearance of conformity while in reality not conformity.
Hiding consumption behavior has been briefly discussed in the consumer behavior literature, but research on this behavior has been limited. The focus of this dissertation differs from research that investigates hiding behavior that may take place by those individuals with compulsive buying habits, which occurs because of an inability to control purchasing. The behavioral response under analysis is hiding behavior that occurs when there is conflict between the individual’s brand preferences and a reference group’s brand preferences. Limited discussion of this type of behavior is provided by Fournier (1998) when she notes that individuals engage in secret brand relationships where they hide their brand consumption from others. This dissertation provides the first in-depth examination of consumers’ efforts to hide their non-deviant consumption behaviors from their social groups.
In order to determine when an individual will engage in one of the pre-existing responses identified in the literature or when they will choose to hide their behavior, this research adds two moderator variables: severity of sanctions and risk of exposure. In addition to determining under what conditions an individual will hide their consumption behavior, this dissertation also examines if individual differences exists that differentiates those who choose to hide their consumption behaviors and those who do not. Finally, this dissertation analyzes the consequences that hiding behavior has on the consumer’s relationship with their reference group and their relationship with the brand.