Yes, conservatives like to wear Ralph Lauren clothes, while liberals prefer threads from Urban Outfitters. Why? Because the former view our social hierarchy as legitimate; the latter don鈥檛.
That鈥檚 all according to a study by Assistant Professor of Marketing Nailya Ordabayeva, to be published in the August issue of the Journal of Consumer Research. Ordabayeva and a colleague found that conservatives buy products they believe will signal their own superiority (big-name brands, high price tags) while liberals buy products they hope will show their uniqueness (unconventional colors or design).
The data suggests that taglines like Mercedes鈥� 鈥淎 Class Ahead鈥� and Apple鈥檚 鈥淭hink Different鈥� really work. Ordabayeva鈥檚 research also has startling implications regarding the extent of our national polarization.
The professor summarized her findings in a Harvard Business Review article, And the full research paper, 鈥淏etter or Different? How Political Ideology Shapes Preferences for Differentiation in the Social Hierarchy,鈥� is .