Masstige Consumption: A Motivation-Desire-Outcome Framework with Implications for Luxury Brand Management

Mass prestige (masstige) is the strategic blend of prestige and mass market appeal, targeting the aspirational middle class. Integrating extant literature on masstige consumption with extensive qualitative insights from both managers and actual users of masstige brands, this article presents a motivation-desire-outcome (MDO) framework to conceptualize masstige consumption, where luxury meets accessibility. We argue that a comprehensive understanding of masstige consumption extends beyond extrinsic social status motivations to include intrinsic self-fulfillment drivers. Through this framework, we unveil the psychological process of masstige consumption, encompassing motivation, desire, and outcome. Our framework also delineates how these dynamics are further influenced by variations such as acculturation, brand promise, need for uniqueness, and susceptibility to interpersonal influence. Importantly, the framework not only enriches the extant discourse on masstige consumption but also sets a forward-looking agenda for research and practical strategies in the masstige market. Through this lens, we invite masstige marketers and scholars to explore novel avenues that bridge the gap between aspiration and accessibility, thereby reshaping our understanding of luxury consumption in a mass-market context.