POWER, SELF-CONSTRUAL, AND BRAND PREFERENCES

This study examines the effects of coercive power on brand preferences and the moderating role of self-construal. The results of the study show that interdependent self-construal moderates the effects of coercive power on brand preferences. When interdependence and independence where added in the same model, there is no significant moderating effect of independence on brand preferences. For brands associated with status, participants who are low in interdependence indicate a higher preference in the low power condition compared to the high power condition. For brands not associated with status, participants who are low in interdependence indicate a higher preference in the high power condition compared to the low power condition. These results are not valid for those high in interdependence. There is no difference in brand preferences between the low and high power conditions for interdependents.