Turning to Brands When Close Others Turn Away: The Hydraulic Relation between Social Support and Brand Reliance

The findings of the four studies showed that social support was inversely influence individual’s brand choice that low social support should predict more brand reliance, particularly for those who place a high value on belonging and being accepted by others. This is because social support satiated the need to express self-worth, thus eliminating the need to rely on brand to achieve self-worth. Furthermore, this negative relationship was robust when taking into consideration of individuals’ price sensitivity.