Research On The Relationship Between Undergraduate's Brand Sensitivity And Self-esteem And Achievement Motivation

The great development of the economy of China due to the reform and open policy provide Chinese undergraduates most of whom was born after 1980s much better living conditions and consumption environments than ever before. Pursuit of fashion, image-building, showing individuality, and self-developing have turned to be wishes and needs of those undergraduates. Furthermore, as a group of consumers who have special features, undergraduates are at the key ages of socialization when their concepts and behaviors of consumption are subject to the impact of the culture of consumerism.Compared with early ones, contemporary undergraduates show universal and obvious brand awareness in their consuming behavior.So far, previous studies on brand consumption have focused on its structures, levels, and their distributions on vital statistics, while mental power which governs brand consumption have not been emphasized as mush as that it is supposed to be, which results in that psychological motive which induces behavior of brand consumption of the group of undergraduates has not explained well yet. Hence, using brand sensitivity as a parameter, this present study investigated the relation between consumption mind, self-esteem, and achievement motivation in order to understand the mental motives which hide behind behaviors of brand consumption of undergraduates and to predict the trend of their consumption in the future.340 undergraduates were tested by questionnaires and Implicit Association Test (IAT). Data analysis was done by using T test, ANOVA, correlation analysis, and regression analysis.In conclusion:(1) undergraduates show obvious brand awareness in their consuming behaviors. Influences of factors on brand sensitivity show no significant differences between gender, census register, and major. Scores of the consumers'price consciousness factor between individuals who are only children and others who are non-only children show significant difference. Brand awareness of different undergraduates shows significant differences. Those differences on factors of brand sensitivity, brand packaging, quality perception, and reference group show the trend that brand awareness strengthens as grade increases.(2) There shows significant positive correlation between implicit self-esteem and quality perception. Undergraduates who have stronger implicit self-esteem think much more of functional values and promise of qualities of products than others. And there are significant positive correlations between explicit self-esteem and brand packaging, reference group, and brand sensitivity. Those who have strong explicit self-esteem pay more attention to brands and their extend functions.(3)Students with high self-esteem group of security concerns both the internal quality brand-name products also focus on the social function of the brand, they are more confident and rational consumption. Fragile high self-esteem group of students on the lowest perceived quality, brand-impact consumption by the reference group, more attention to the social function of the brand.(4) Both implicit self-esteem and explicit self-esteem are correlated with achievement motivation significantly. Implicit self-esteem positively correlates with pursuit of success significantly, while it negatively correlates with motivation of avoiding failure. Explicit self-esteem negatively correlates with motivation of avoiding failure, while there shows no significant correlation between explicit self-esteem and pursuit of success.(5) Achievement motivation positively correlates with reference group significantly, and negatively correlates with price awareness.(6) The factor of implicit self-esteem can be used to predict undergraduates' brand sensitivities under the influence of quality perception.(7) Explicit self-esteem and motivation of avoiding failure can be good factors to be used to predict brand sensitivities under the influence of reference group.