Driving with an exclamation mark – BMW owners in pursuit of prestige

Abstract

The subject of this study is the notion of prestige in consumer behavior. This thesis focuses on gaining a better understanding of the research problem, which comes in the form of a question: “How is prestige pursued in consumption?” This problem is approached by analyzing how consumers use expensive BMW automobiles to gain acceptance, appreciation and admiration.

The theoretical framework delves into prestige-seeking consumer behavior firstly by defining prestige and the key concepts associated with it. This thesis views prestige as the social honor in the eyes of people. The theoretical framework concentrates on explaining what prestige is: the underlying needs and motives behind it, the sources of it, and how signaling is used to achieve it. The theoretical perspective is symbolic interactionism which guides the whole research. The assumptions and conclusions in the theoretical part are empirically explored through interviewing BMW automobile owners with newly bought models which were worth more than 80 000 euros. The primary research material consists solely of the interviews. The interviews are conducted in a semi-structured and open-ended manner. The resulting empirical data is analyzed using interpretive techniques, namely hermeneutic interpretation.

The central finding regarding prestige-seeking was that ‘good cars’ were membership facilitators in the group of ‘The entrepreneurial-minded successful people’. Automobiles were linked to success and having a ‘good car’ was relevant for the group and its value system, and through ownership one was an appropriate and accepted member. The second important finding was that explicit signaling as a way of attaining prestige and status was seen as ineffective compared to more subtle means. The informants thought that some of the more conspicuous choices seemed to invoke negative reactions such as annoyance and irritation in others.