Walking a slippery line: Investments in social values and product longevity Articles uri icon

authors

  • FOSFURI, ANDREA
  • GIARRATANA, MARCO
  • ROCA I BATLLORI, ESTHER

publication date

  • November 2015

start page

  • 1750

end page

  • 1760

issue

  • 11

volume

  • 36

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

  • 0143-2095

Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)

  • 1097-0266

abstract

  • Abstract: Corporate sponsorship of events that support social values (e.g., human rights) help firms infuse their products with symbolic meaning, prolonging their life cycle. Yet, higher product prices might spark perceptions that the firm invests in social values for calculative or opportunistic motives, in which case event sponsorship is unlikely to deliver the expected benefits in the form of product longevity. This study explores this potential tension empirically, using data related to sponsored social events, entry prices, and product longevity for a U.S. cosmetics producer.

keywords

  • social values; symbolic meaning; cosmetic industry; new product entry pricing; product lifespan