Consumer authenticity seeking: conceptualization, measurement, and contingent effects

Fabian Bartsch, Katharina Petra Zeugner-Roth, Constantine S. Katsikeas

Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science · 2022 · Volume 50 · Issue 2

Abstract

The concept of authenticity is gaining interest in research and managerial practice. While the focus has been on the supply side, investigating factors that make brands authentic, the demand side, or consumers’ search for authentic market offerings, has been neglected. Informed by the literature, this article develops a psychometrically sound and cross-nationally and temporally stable scale to measure consumer authenticity seeking (CAS) as a set of three dimensions: personal, true, and iconic authenticity seeking. Using a comprehensive theory-based nomological network, this research introduces CAS as an important moderator between brand authenticity and outcomes. It also examines consumers’ intrinsic and extrinsic motives that drive these effects. Finally, this research reveals different consumer profiles managers can use for targeting and segmentation purposes.

Keywords

Authenticity, Self-authenticity, Need for uniqueness, Susceptibility to normative influence, Profile analysis

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