Is less more? - the varying appeal of minimalism
Minimalism is increasingly adopted for marketing campaigns but how wide is its breadth of appeal? A new study looks at how consumer groups of varying socio-economic status respond to the form.
Minimalism, a philosophy that inspires people to live with fewer possessions, is an emerging lifestyle and consumer movement, and increasingly incorporated into corporate branding and marketing strategies. This trend raises the question of how consumers respond to brands that embrace and espouse minimalism, and yet up until now their response has received scant attention, with the main focus of previous research being minimalism’s relationship to lifestyle and well‐being.
The authors of the paper When less is more: Understanding consumers' responses to minimalist appeals investigate whether consumers' responses to minimalist brand and marketing appeals depend on their socio-economic status.
They tested four hypotheses:
1. Consumers with low (vs. high) socio-economic status view brands that adopt minimalist appeals less favourably.
2. The effect of socio-economic status on evaluations of minimalist brands is driven by the preference for consumption quantity over quality.
3. The effect of socio-economic status on evaluations of minimalist brands is moderated by consumers' quantitative considerations of product usage.
4. Low socio-economic status consumers become more attracted to minimalist brands when the link between minimalism and increased usage frequency is made.
The hypotheses were tested in five studies, which focused on real and fictitious minimalist fashion brands, using different operationalisations of socio-economic status, and both attitudinal and incentive‐compatible choice measures.
They found that consumers with lower socio-economic status do indeed take a less favourable view of brands that adopt minimalist appeals. This consumer group prefers quantity over quality in their daily consumption, a preference contrary to the tenets of minimalism. These consumers can become more favourable toward minimalist brands if benefits such as increased product usage is made salient. As such, featuring product usage frequency in advertisements effectively increased the appeal of minimalist brands among low socio-economic status consumers.
The research contributes to our understanding of minimalism’s marketing appeal. It demonstrates how, and under what conditions, consumers' socio-economic status influences their evaluations of minimalist brands. The findings offer insights into the (mis)alignment between a minimalist brand's positioning and the interests of consumers with different socio-economic status.
The findings also extend research on the relationship between socio-economic status and sustainable consumption. While minimalist brands are often perceived as sustainable, the research found this chimed less with consumers of lower socio-economic status because they tend to value consumption quantity over quality. Minimalism might therefore offer a unique approach to sustainability, rendering the relationship between consumer socio-economic status and minimalist brands as distinct from those regarding other types of sustainable brands.
Minimalism is increasingly popular in daily life, popular culture, and marketing communication but, as this research explains, consumer groups who differ in socio-economic status respond differently to brands that incorporate minimalism into their marketing output. This research represents an initial step to explore whether, how, and when this approach yields desirable effects. Because minimalist brands have the potential to promote sustainability, understanding consumers' responses to minimalist brands could also provide opportunities to promote sustainable consumption too.
The paper When less is more: Understanding consumers' responses to minimalist appeals is available for download at City Research Online. The paper is published in Psychology & Marketing.
