Marketers have extensive data on consumers used to enhance value for consumers. However, the same segmenting, targeting, and positioning practices that provide value for unique, specific consumers, can also create the conditions to discriminate against groups with any given characteristic. In this research I examine this tension by unpacking contexts surrounding (a) who feels discriminated against in response to contrasting marketplace treatment and (b) who is still overlooked, despite all marketers seem to know about consumers. Specifically, in Chapter 1 I examine how men’s and women’s responses to the common practice of gender-based price variation differ. I find that women view higher prices for themselves as signals of gender discrimination that are unfair, which negatively impacts many brand outcomes (i.e., choice, purchase likelihood, competitor patronage). In contrast, men are less attuned to the prices as signals of gender discrimination because they are more likely to endorse free market principles, and so their perceived price unfairness and subsequent brand responses are not as negatively impacted. I find that these effects persist across utilitarian and hedonic items, across products, services, and experiences, across temporary and permanent price differences, and is specific to gender-based price variation, not gendering alone or price differences alone. In Chapter 2, I examine marketplace stereotypes of people with disabilities, an understudied group despite being the largest global minority. In this research, I reveal the disability preference stereotype, the inference that individuals with disabilities prefer utilitarian, over hedonic items, even though hedonic enjoyment is important to the well-being commonly sought as part of the human experience. These inferred preferences are misaligned with the actual preferences of disabled consumers. This bias occurs even when observers are informed that the product is a gift, when provided substantial information about the target consumer’s hedonic interests, and when the items are completely unrelated to disability (e.g., a documentary versus reality television streaming channel). This suppression of hedonic interests and pursuits can be mitigated if the target’s perceived need for support is attenuated through improvements in environmental accessibility.

Individuals regularly share information about the leisure activities in which they participate, and often do so in a public manner (e.g., personal biographies, social media). Little research has examined the potential consequences of sharing such information. Across five lab experiments and one quasi-experiment utilizing Twitter data, I demonstrate that when people share information about participating in multiple leisure activities, others perceive them as having greater eudaimonic (e.g., meaning, fulfillment) and hedonic (e.g., happiness, satisfaction) well-being. These perceptions of well-being, and particularly eudaimonic well-being, have important positive implications, even in domains where leisure activities might be expected to serve as a negative signal. Specifically, individuals perceived as having higher eudaimonic well-being are viewed as more appealing in professional contexts. This effect is attenuated if the activities themselves are associated with lower well-being. The present research reveals the ironic effect that highlighting how one spends time outside work can increase one’s professional standing. I further demonstrate that well-being is not simply a positive outcome for individuals but can be a diagnostic tool utilized in interpersonal relationships, including professional relationships.

When consumers fail in their environmental, dieting, or budgeting goals, they may engage in a consumer confession about their goal-inconsistent behavior. This dissertation seeks to understand how confessions about consumer goal transgressions affect subsequent consumer motivation and behaviors. Results from a series of five experiments reveal that after reflecting about a past transgression, Catholics who confess (vs. do not confess) about the focal transgression are more motivated to engage in subsequent goal-consistent consumer behaviors. However, results reveal no such effects for Non-Catholics; Non-Catholics are equally motivated to engage in goal-consistent consumer behaviors regardless of whether or not they confessed. Catholics and Non-Catholics differ on the extent to which they believe that acts of penance are required to make amends and achieve forgiveness after confession. For Catholics, confessing motivates restorative, penance-like behaviors even in the consumer domain. Thus, when Catholics achieve forgiveness through the act of confession itself (vs. a traditional confession requiring penance), they reduce their need to engage in restorative consumer behaviors. Importantly, results find that confession (vs. reflecting only) does not provide a general self-regulatory boost to all participants, but rather that confession is motivating only for Catholics due to their beliefs about penance. Together, results suggest that for consumers with strong penance beliefs, confession can be an effective strategy for getting back on track with their consumption goals.

Although it is commonly assumed that consumers eat more and find food to be more attractive when hungry, surprisingly little research has looked at how robust this effect might be and what could moderate it. Building on theories of hunger and self-control, this research examines which types of foods (hedonic or utilitarian) are more attractive and likely to be consumed by hungry consumers. Across a series of six experiments I find that when hungry and under reduced cognitive capacity, consumers find hedonic foods more attractive and consume them in larger quantities. However, when hungry and with high cognitive capacity, consumers have the ability to engage in counteractive self-control, thus limiting both the attractiveness and consumption of hedonic food items. Furthermore, I find that hunger is not likely to influence the attractiveness of utilitarian foods, but is likely to increase the consumption of these foods, regardless of cognitive capacity.