How to strategically reject? The impact of market segmentation communication on the brand desire of non-target consumers
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Date
2020-03-09
Authors
Yan, Jun
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Abstract
When marketers select a target market for a brand, they are implicitly rejecting consumers who are not in the target market. Prior research has revealed that negative reactions emerge when consumers encounter brand rejection. This paper examines how a brand communicates its market segmentation strategy with its non-target consumers without decreasing their brand desire in the process. Six studies indicate that market segmentation communication via inclusion framing (vs. exclusion framing) was less likely to decrease the non-target consumers’ brand desires when they perceived that the rejecting brand was still attainable. We uncover a novel underlying mechanism—brand aspiration—that mediates the effect of brand rejection on brand desire. This research helps marketers to design effective market segmentation communication strategies when they deal with the dilemma of rejecting non-target consumers. This allows companies to achieve an increased market share without alienating other aspiring consumers.
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Keywords
market segmentation, brand rejection, inclusion framing, exclusion framing, brand aspiration