Are luxury brand labels and \u201cgreen\u201d labels costly signals of social status? An extended replication
Berger reports an extended replication asking whether luxury brand labels and green labels really work as costly signals of social status. Costly signalling theory explains why people pay a premium for conspicuous products such as brand-labelled clothing or environmentally friendly cars, the extra cost being a signal of status and wealth that is supposed to bring advantages in social interactions with the signaller. An earlier study had found positive evidence for brand labels, but some of its experiments were not conducted in a perfectly double-blind manner. Berger addressed that by replicating variations of the original design under a double-blind procedure, and added a green label condition, testing for the first time in a natural field setting whether the hypothesis can explain pro-environmental behaviour. The experiments ran in both average and below-average socioeconomic neighbourhoods, where the theory predicts signals should work more strongly still. In contrast to the original study, no effect of the brand label appeared in any of the five experiments, and no green-signalling effect appeared either. In poorer neighbourhoods a negative tendency actually became evident.
Berger reports an extended replication asking whether luxury brand labels and green labels really work as costly signals of social status. Costly signalling theory explains why people pay a premium for conspicuous products such as brand-labelled clothing or environmentally friendly cars, the extra cost being a signal of status and wealth that is supposed to bring advantages in social interactions with the signaller. An earlier study had found positive evidence for brand labels, but some of its experiments were not conducted in a perfectly double-blind manner. Berger addressed that by replicating variations of the original design under a double-blind procedure, and added a green label condition, testing for the first time in a natural field setting whether the hypothesis can explain pro-environmental behaviour. The experiments ran in both average and below-average socioeconomic neighbourhoods, where the theory predicts signals should work more strongly still. In contrast to the original study, no effect of the brand label appeared in any of the five experiments, and no green-signalling effect appeared either. In poorer neighbourhoods a negative tendency actually became evident.
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States that some experiments in the previous study were not conducted in a perfectly double-blind manner, and resolves this by replicating variations of the original design double-blind, adding a green-label condition, and running in both average and below-average socioeconomic neighbourhoods. Found no positive effects of the luxury brand label in any of five experiments, no green-signalling effect, and a negative tendency of the luxury label in poor neighbourhoods; concludes a signalling account must take the characteristics of observers into account. Verified at the published record 2026-10-01. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0170216
Where we use it
- What the Luxury Label Actually Buys, Why We Crave
- Public Charity and Who Is Watching, Why We Crave
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Berger, J. (2017). 'Are luxury brand labels and \u201cgreen\u201d labels costly signals of social status? An extended replication.' PLOS ONE, 12(2), e0170216. States that some experiments in the previous study were not conducted in a perfectly double-blind manner, and resolves this by replicating variations of the original design double-blind, adding a green-label condition, and running in both average and below-average socioeconomic neighbourhoods. Found no positive effects of the luxury brand label in any of five experiments, no green-signalling effect, and a negative tendency of the luxury label in poor neighbourhoods; concludes a signalling account must take the characteristics of observers into account. Verified at the published record 2026-10-01. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0170216