Impact of status brand strategy on materialism in Thailand

The paper aims to investigate the influence of status brand strategy of Mercedes Benz on materialism.

Materialism level and perceived status associated with status brands are measured amongst Bangkok people. The correlation between the two shows the nature and the extent of the impact of the strategy on materialism.

Status brand strategy promotes materialism at a moderate level. Older and low to middle income people are susceptible to the impact of the strategy. The three characteristics of the brand – symbolic meaning, quality, and emotional appeal – show a strong impact on materialists.

This paper focuses on the Bangkok population and a single status brand. The analysis does not distinguish between the perception of the owner and non‐owner of the brand.

The findings point to adopting appropriate marketing strategies. These are: use direct marketing channels, expand product range to introduce affordable products, and communicate against bad connotation of materialism.

This paper calls for a reexamining of the impact of status brand strategy in escalating materialism. The findings will help in implementing strategies to discourage excessive materialism.