Impression Formation in a World Full of Fake Products

This study extends existing theories on impression formation taking the fact of product piracy into consideration. The conducted qualitative study on Rolex watches confirms the suggested process of impression formation and brand appraisal consisting of four components. Our findings contribute to the theory of impression formation and lead to a better understanding of how people wearing fake products are perceived. The results of this study also have major practical implications, suggesting that under certain circumstances product piracy may entail an overall positive brand reputation which in part contradicts the predominant negative view of brand piracy.

Citation:

Sezayi Tunca and Johann Fueller (2009) ,"Impression Formation in a World Full of Fake Products", in NA - Advances in Consumer Research Volume 36, eds. Ann L. McGill and Sharon Shavitt, Duluth, MN : Association for Consumer Research, Pages: 287-292.