- P-ISSN1738-3110
- E-ISSN2093-7717
- SCOPUS, ESCI
ISSN : 1738-3110
Distribution of Consumer Support for Underdog Brands: A Systematic Review of the Underdog Effect
Abstract
Purpose: The underdog effect refers to a positive attitude towards the underdog who lacks resources and opportunities but has passion and determination. Extensive research has been investigated how the underdog effect affects distributing consumer preference and purchase intention. The purpose of this study is to identify the theoretical basis on which the underdog effect is grounded by analysing the prior research in the underdog literature. Research design, data and methodology: This study organizes the literature on the underdog effect by analyzing a total of 33 journals published in the past 16 years. Constructs and variables were extracted from the selected articles through the content analysis on a systematic literature review. Results: This literature review reveals that identity theories served as an overarching theoretical lens when examining the underdog effect. Additionally, the underdog effect was rooted in theories of justice and equity to explain the relationship between underdog brand positioning and consumer preference. Conclusions: This paper paves the way for future research based on prior research and trend analysis of underdog brand positioning. This article also provides an insightful interpretation and synthesis of the theoretical underpinnings of the impact of underdog effects on consumers' overall brand evaluations.
- keywords
- Underdog Effect, Underdog Positioning, Underdog Channel and Supply Strategy, Literature Review, Brand Preference Distribution
Reference
Allison, S. T., & Burnette, J. L. (2009). Fairness and preference for underdogs and top dogs. Social Decision Making: Social Dilemmas, Social Values, and Ethical Judgements, 291, 291-314.
Boytos, A., Smith, K., & Kim, J. (2017). The underdog advantage in creativity. Thinking skills creativity, 26, 96-101.
Bradley, A., Lawrence, C., & Ferguson, E. (2019). When the relatively poor prosper: the underdog effect on charitable donations. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 48(1), 108-127.
Camerer, C. F. (2003). Behavioral studies of strategic thinking in games. Trends in cognitive sciences, 7(5), 225-231.
Ceci, S. J., & Kain, E. L. (1982). Jumping on the bandwagon with the underdog: The impact of attitude polls on polling behavior. Public Opinion Quarterly, 46(2), 228-242.
Cialdini, R. B., Borden, R. J., Thorne, A., Walker, M. R., Freeman, S., & Sloan, L. R. (1976). Basking in reflected glory: Three (football) field studies. Journal of personality social Psychology of Education, 34(3), 366-375.
Delgado-Ballester, E. (2020). Effect of underdog (vs top dog)brand storytelling on brand identification: exploring multiple mediation mechanisms. Journal of Product Brand Management, 30(4), 626-638.
Fehr, E., & Schmidt, K. M. (1999). A theory of fairness, competition, and cooperation. The quarterly journal of economics, 114(3), 817-868.
Gao, T. T., & McGinnis, L. P. (2020). Building a compelling underdog consumption experience. Journal of Small Business Strategy, 30(2), 93-105.
Goldschmied, N., & Vandello, J. A. (2009). The advantage of disadvantage: Underdogs in the political arena. Basic Applied Social Psychology, 31(1), 24-31.
Goldschmied, N., Galily, Y., & Keith, K. (2018). Evidence for cross-cultural support for the underdog: is the affiliation driven by fairness and competence assessments? Frontiers in psychology, 9, 2246, 1-7.
Goldschmied, N., McDaniel, C., & Ramirez, V. (2017). Preference for the underdog when sampling commercial products:Assessment of the effect and limiting conditions. Journal of Marketing Behavior, 3(1), 51-61.
Gusenbauer, M. (2019). Google Scholar to overshadow them all? Comparing the sizes of 12 academic search engines and bibliographic databases. Scientometrics, 118(1), 177-214.
Han, B., & Kim, M. (2020). Interaction of the underdog with equality and scarcity. Marketing Intelligence & Planning, 38(2), 254-267.
Han, B., Sembada, A. Y., & Johnson, L. W. (2021). Leveraging Underdog Positioning and Consumer Trait Agreeableness for Sustained Marketing Strategy. Sustainability, 13(23), 12940.
He, Y., You, Y., & Chen, Q. (2020). Our conditional love for the underdog: The effect of brand positioning and the lay theory of achievement on WOM. Journal of Business Research, 118, 210-222.
Jin, L., & Huang, Y. (2019). How Power States Influence the Persuasiveness of Top‐Dog versus Underdog Appeals. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 29(2), 243-261.
Jost, J. T., Banaji, M. R., & Nosek, B. A. (2004). A decade of system justification theory: Accumulated evidence of conscious and unconscious bolstering of the status quo. Political psychology, 25(6), 881-919.
Jun, S., Sung, J., Gentry, J. W., & McGinnis, L. P. (2015). Effects of underdog (vs. top dog) positioning advertising. International Journal of Advertising, 34(3), 495-514.
Kao, D. T. (2015). Is Cinderella resurging? The impact of consumers' underdog disposition on brand preferences:Underdog brand biography and brand status as moderators. Journal of Consumer Behaviour, 14(5), 307-316.
Kao, D. T. (2019). The impact of envy on brand preference: brand storytelling and psychological distance as moderators. Journal of Product Brand Management, 28(4), 515-528.
Kim, J., Allison, S. T., Eylon, D., Goethals, G. R., Markus, M. J., Hindle, S. M., & McGuire, H. A. (2008). Rooting for (and then abandoning) the underdog. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 38(10), 2550-2573.
Kim, Y., Park, K., & Stacey Lee, S. (2019). The underdog trap: The moderating role of transgression type in forgiving underdog brands. Psychology & Marketing, 36(1), 28-40.
Kirmani, A., Hamilton, R. W., Thompson, D. V., & Lantzy, S. (2017). Doing well versus doing good: The differential effect of underdog positioning on moral and competent service providers. Journal of Marketing Behavior, 81(1), 103-117.
Lerner, M. J. (2003). The justice motive: Where social psychologists found it, how they lost it, and why they may not find it again. Personality social psychology review, 7(4), 388-399.
Li, Y., & Zhao, M. (2018). Must the underdog win? The moderation effect of product type in the underdog effect of brand stories. Asian Journal of Social Psychology, 21(4), 237-245.
McGinnis, L. P., Gao, T., Jun, S., & Gentry, J. (2017). Motivational bases for consumers’ underdog affection in commerce. Journal of Service Management, 28(3), 563-592.
McGinnis, L. P., & Gentry, J. W. (2009). Underdog consumption:An exploration into meanings and motives. Journal of Business Research, 62(2), 191-199.
Messick, D. M. (1995). Equality, fairness, and social conflict. Social Justice Research, 8(2), 153-173.
Nagar, K. (2019). Support for the underdog brand biography:Effects on consumer attitude and behavior. Journal of Marketing Communications, 25(5), 477-493.
Nagar, K. (2021). Using topdog versus underdog brand biography in advertising: Effects of similarity and consumption decision of non-deceptive counterfeits. Journal of Marketing Communications, 27(4), 415-435.
Neuberg, S. L., Smith, D. M., Hoffman, J. C., & Russell, F. J. (1994). When We Observe Stigmatized and "Normal"Individuals Interacting: Stigma by Association. Personality and social psychology bulletin, 20(2), 196-209.
Nurmohamed, S. (2020). The underdog effect: When low expectations increase performance. Academy of Management Journal, 63(4), 1106-1133.
Owens, T. J., Robinson, D. T., & Smith-Lovin, L. (2010). Three faces of identity. Annual Review of Sociology, 36, 477-499.
Paharia, N., Avery, J., & Keinan, A. (2014). Positioning brands against large competitors to increase sales. Journal of marketing Research, 51(6), 647-656.
Paharia, N., Keinan, A., Avery, J., & Schor, J. B. (2011). The underdog effect: The marketing of disadvantage and determination through brand biography. Journal of Consumer Research, 37(5), 775-790.
Ridgeway, C. L. (2001). Social status and group structure. Blackwell handbook of social psychology: Group processes, 352-375.
Ridgeway, C. L. (2003). and Leadership. Leadership Power:Identity Processes in Groups Organizations, 65.
Reed II, A., Forehand, M. R., Puntoni, S., & Warlop, L. (2012). Identity-based consumer behavior. International Journal of Research in Marketing, 29(4), 310-321.
Schimel, J., Pyszczynski, T., Greenberg, J., O'Mahen, H., & Arndt, J. (2000). Running from the shadow: Psychological distancing from others to deny characteristics people fear in themselves. Journal of Personality Social Psychology of Education, 78(3), 446-462.
Schmidt, H. J., & Steenkamp, P. (2021). Beware, an underdog may bite: literature review and brand management framework in the context of underdog brands. Journal of Brand Management, 29, 85-110.
Sequeira, J., Weeks, K., Bell, M., & Gibbs, S. (2018). Making the case for diversity as a strategic business tool in small firm survival and success. Journal of Small Business Strategy, 28(3), 31-47.
Shepherd, S., Chartrand, T. L., & Fitzsimons, G. J. (2015). When brands reflect our ideal world: The values and brand preferences of consumers who support versus reject society’s dominant ideology. Journal of Consumer Research, 42(1), 76-92.
Shin Legendre, T., Warnick, R., & Baker, M. (2018). The support of local underdogs: System justification theory perspectives. Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, 59(3), 201-214.
Shirai, M. (2017). Underdog effects: The role of consumption domain and retail crowding. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 34(5), 384-392.
Siemens, J. C., Smith, S. D., & Fisher, D. (2013). Second best:Exploring the effectiveness of underdog brand positioning. Paper presented at the AMA Winter Educators' Conference Proceedings, Vol.24, 454-455.
Siemens, J. C., Weathers, D., Smith, S., & Fisher, D. (2020). Sizing Up Without Selling Out: The Role of Authenticity in Maintaining Long-Run Consumer Support for Successful Underdog Brands. Journal of Advertising, 49(1), 78-97.
Simon, H. A. (1954). Bandwagon and underdog effects and the possibility of election predictions. Public Opinion Quarterly, 18(3), 245-253.
Sirgy, M. J. (1982). Self-concept in consumer behavior: A critical review. Journal of Consumer Research, 9(3), 287-300.
Sirgy, M. J., & Su, C. (2000). Destination image, self-congruity, and travel behavior: Toward an integrative model. Journal of Travel Research, 38(4), 340-352.
Skitka, L. J., & Tetlock, P. E. (1992). Allocating scarce resources:A contingency model of distributive justice. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 28(6), 491-522.
Staton, M., Paharia, N., & Oveis, C. (2012). Emotional marketing:How pride and compassion impact preferences for underdog and top dog brands. ACR North American Advances, 40, 1045-1046.
Stokburger-Sauer, N., Ratneshwar, S., & Sen, S. (2012). Drivers of consumer–brand identification. International Journal of Research in Marketing, 29(4), 406-418.
Tang, Y. E., & Tsang, A. S. (2020). Inspire me to purchase:Consumers’ personal control and preference for underdog brand positioning. Journal of Business Research, 115, 101-109.
Tayfel, H., & Turner, J. C. (1986). The social identity theory of intergroup behavior. Psychology of intergroup relations, 7-24.
Tezer, A., Bodur, O., & Grohmann, B. (2022). When Goliaths Win and Davids Lose: The moderating role of perceived risk in brand biography effects. Psychology & Marketing, 39(1), 27-45.
van der Toorn, J., & Jost, J. T. (2014). Twenty years of system justification theory: Introduction to the special issue on “Ideology and system justification processes”. Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, 17(4), 413-419.
Traugott, P. D. M. W., & Lavrakas, P. D. P. J. (2016). The voter's guide to election polls. 3d ed. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Vandello, J. A., Goldschmied, N., & Michniewicz, K. (2016). Underdogs as heroes. In Handbook of heroism and heroic leadership (pp. 361-377): Routledge.
Vandello, J. A., Goldschmied, N. P., & Richards, D. A. (2007). The appeal of the underdog. Personality social psychology bulletin, 33(12), 1603-1616.
Wann, D. L., Keenan, B. L., Burnett, S., Martin, J., Page, L., Smith, L., & Lantz, C. D. (2002). The impact of sport team identification and attributions of ability and effort on spectators' impressions of athletic performance. North American Journal of Psychology, 4(3), 347-354.
Zourrig, H., & El Hedhli, K. (2018). Consumers’ motivations and roles in rooting for or against underdog consumer. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 42(1), 164-172.
- Downloaded
- Viewed
- 0KCI Citations
- 0WOS Citations