When size does matter: Dominance versus prestige based status signaling

Abstract Prior research in status signaling and conspicuous consumption has viewed status as a unitary concept and largely relied on prestige based status. Signaling based on the other status dimension – dominance based status – has not been explicitly examined. We draw from this dominance-prestige based model and propose that product and brand size are predominantly a dominance based status signaling mechanism. As such, this size-as-status signal is confined to male (and not female) consumers. We also propose that this signaling strategy is driven by the experience of higher hubristic pride under dominance (vs. prestige) status, and is also moderated by an environmental contingency (personal control over life outcomes). We test and verify these hypotheses using two experimental studies and a novel procedure to manipulate dominance versus prestige based status. The results support the overall hypotheses that product/brand size can be a signal of dominance based status among males.