On occasion, buying a product or service can make consumers feel good about themselves. It’s the reason we engage in retail therapy and guilty pleasures around our favorite meals. But what about the few consumers who feel so good about themselves that they believe they’re better than others? In the world of psychology, they’re considered consumer narcissists and are the topic of the second episode of Market with Me Quikly.
Narcissists are usually given a bad rep, but Dr. Colleen Kirk, consumer behavior expert and associate professor of management and marketing studies at the New York Institute of Technology, says these consumers can be very useful in helping marketers cut through the noise.
During the 18-minute episode, Kirk gave us an inside look at the newly explored concept. Here are a few of the thoughts she shared:
What is consumer narcissism?
Before our conversation began, Kirk briefly mentioned that there was a bright side to consumer narcissism. Only having ever thought of narcissism as a negative trait, I asked Kirk to explain this idea further.
“Narcissism is a personality trait, so you’re right. People who are higher in narcissism tend to think that they’re better than other people…I study narcissism in the context of human behavior,” Kirk said. “When we talk about narcissism in consumer behavior, we’re referring to the spectrum of narcissism that’s found in the general population.”
That spectrum, she says, can be impacted by a number of variables: one’s environment, cultural and sociological factors, and even the actions of marketers. Consumer narcissism comes in two forms: narcissistic admiration and narcissistic rivalry. And while generally viewed negatively, consumer narcissism does have the potential to benefit brand leaders when approached strategically.
“[Narcisstic admiration] is the 'bright side' of narcissism. It is positively correlated with self-esteem,” said Kirk. “[These consumers] are people who promote themselves and talk about how good they are. And this bright side can be good for marketers because admirative consumers will say all kinds of positive things about a product or brand they feel like is theirs…”
However, there are still aspects of consumer narcissism that marketers should look out for and stay away from. Kirk describes them, along with other ways that this heightened form of consumer empowerment can help brands stand out, in the second episode of Market With Me Quikly: Season Two.
You can hear more of what Kirk had to say on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
As the season progresses, we’ll be sharing more information about consumer psychology and delving into some of its niche concepts. If you’d like to lend your knowledge, you can email me at lindsay@quikly.com. Let’s cut through the noise together.
