Title: The impact of conspicuous consumption posts on social media users' attitudes towards luxury brands

Authors: Xiaofeng Jia; Soyeon Ahn

Addresses: Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH, 43403, USA ' Department of Educational and Psychological Studies, School of Education and Human Development, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33146, USA

Abstract: Social media platforms have transformed the way individuals express their lives, with Instagram standing out as a prominent platform for sharing visually appealing posts. It has become a popular trend for individuals to use social media to publicise their extravagant lifestyles. Consequently, luxury brands have capitalised on social media to cultivate relationships with potential customers, thereby enhancing brand experiences and bolstering sales. To optimise promotional strategies, understanding the essential characteristics of brand-related posts that influence users' attitudes is imperative. This study employed a 2 × 2 × 2 full-factorial between-subjects experiment design, delving into the most influential components of conspicuous consumption posts on users' attitudes towards the affiliated luxury brand. The findings revealed that users exhibited the highest brand attitude when posts featured authentic pride expressions, prominently displayed logos, and were disseminated by micro-SMIs. The implications of the study's outcomes in the luxury branding domain were discussed.

Keywords: luxury branding; social media; Instagram; conspicuous consumption; pride expression; social media influencer; SMI; brand prominence.

DOI: 10.1504/IJIMA.2026.152925

International Journal of Internet Marketing and Advertising, 2026 Vol.24 No.3, pp.318 - 340

Received: 05 Sep 2023
Accepted: 28 Nov 2023
Published online: 15 Apr 2026 *

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