Although the influence of identity on consumer behavior has been documented in many streams of literature, the absence of a consistent definition of identity and of generally accepted principles regarding the drivers of identity-based behavior complicates comparisons across these literatures. To...

In today’s multicultural societies, ethnic targeting is increasingly important for marketing. Two main approaches to target ethnic minorities have emerged: messaging consumers when their ethnic identity is most salient, and featuring spokespeople who have the same heritage as the target. We...

Consumer embarrassment is an important concern for marketers. Yet, little is knownabout embarrassment in passive situations like advertising viewing. The authors investigate when and why consumers experience embarrassment as a result of exposure to socially sensitive advertisements. The theory...

Increasingly, some products do not merely automate some piece of our lives but act as autonomous agents. When these technologies are not yet perfected, what are their risks? Here we explore the case of AI companion apps. Although these apps are designed for companionship rather than therapy, we...