Article 2.1 Van Bavel & Packer Flashcards
Scandinavian Airlines Campaign Failure
The 2022 ad claimed Scandinavian meatballs and Danish pastries were influenced by other cultures, aiming to inspire travellers to explore global influences
Backlash from Scandinavian citizens and politicians due to alienation
“I am Canadian” success
A beer ad featuring the “rant” celebrated Canadian identity, highlighting cultural pride through symbols and language distinctions
Boosted beer sales and affirmed Canadians’ distinctiveness and belonging
What are the psychological foundations of social identity
- Belonging and distinctiveness
- Status needs
- Cooperation and trust
- Identity and consumer behavior
Belonging and distinctiveness
Humans have a dual need: to fit in groups and stand out
Groups and products that fulfil these desires are attractive
Status needs
Identity signals meet individuals’ desires for recognition and validation
Cooperation and trust
Shared identities build trust, enabling collaboration without direct personal connections
Identity and consumer behavior
Products often symbolize group membership
Apple: ‘Think different’
Experiment - Memory and in-group bias
People remember in-group faces better than out-group faces, reflecting heightened attention toward those perceived as relevant
Social exclusion and nostalgia
Feeling excluded increases preference for national or cultural identity
Ethnic and cultural identity threats
Identity threats (questioning someone’s English fluency) can lead members of minority groups to emphasize mainstream behaviors to signal belonging
Underdog appeal
Supporting underdogs satisfies the need for distinctiveness
Individuals identify with underdog sports teams when their uniqueness is threatened
Identity signaling
Apple stickers enable individuals to broadcast group membership
Sports apparel, bumper stickers, e-mail signatures
Symbolic self-completion
When people feel their identity isn’t recognized, they compensate on displaying symbols of it more prominently
