Sustainable Luxury and Word of Mouth: The Effect Of Shame and Individualism

Abstract

This research proposes that messages describing unsustainable versus sustainable luxury manufacturing methods elicit anticipated shame, which differentially impact consumers\u2019 negative word-of-mouth intentions depending on their individualistic versus collectivistic cultural orientation. An experimental study shows that messages about unsustainable luxury products trigger shame, which, in turn, increases (decreases) negative word-of-mouth for collectivistic (individualistic) consumers. Such results contribute to the literature on luxury and sustainability by shedding light on the role that negative emotions \u2012 shame, in particular \u2012 and consumers\u2019 cultural orientation have in sustainable luxury development