Better or different? How mimicry by social groups shapes consumers’ preference for differentiated brands

Consumers tend to abandon or avoid using a product when they become aware that it is being imitated by others. However, little is known about how or why such reactions may vary based on whether the mimicker belongs to the consumers’ dissociative group or membership group. This study proposes that consumers respond to mimickers from different social groups through the use of brands: horizontal or vertical differentiation. Across five studies, we show that when consumers are mimicked by a dissociative group (membership group), it results in feelings of self-identity threat (distinctiveness-threat). This, in turn, increases their desire for self-expression (a higher status position among brand users) and subsequently heightens the preference for horizontal (vertical) brands. These effects are mitigated when the mimicry domain has low identity-relevance and when the imitated person feels powerful.