Are you up for fair-trade products? Vertical dimension as a metaphorical representation of virtuous consumption

Frederic Basso (1) , Julien Bouille (2) , Julien Troiville (3, 4)

1 LSE - London School of Economics and Political Science
2 LIRIS - Laboratoire interdisciplinaire de recherche en innovations sociétales
3 CREM - Centre de recherche en économie et management
4 UR - Université de Rennes

This article examines vertical dimension as a metaphorical representation of ethical consumption by testing the connection between ethical consumption and high verticality, and its implications for consumers when considering fair-trade products. This research first shows that the representation of ethical consumption in terms of high verticality manifests in a strong implicit association between moral virtues underpinning fair-trade consumption (e.g., justice, solidarity) and "up" (Study 1). This research then demonstrates that consumers explicitly associate fair-trade products with an elevated position (Study 2), and that a match between fair-trade products and increased physical elevation results in heightened altruistic behavior (Study 3). In addition, this article reveals that greater familiarity with fair-trade products enhances this metaphorical representation and its downstream effects on altruistic behavior (Studies 2 and 3). The theoretical and managerial implications of the present research are discussed in conclusion.

Mots clés: Fair trade; Ethical consumption; Conceptual metaphor; Verticality; Altruistic behavior

Domaines: Gestion et management

Frederic Basso, Julien Bouille, Julien Troiville. Are you up for fair-trade products? Vertical dimension as a metaphorical representation of virtuous consumption. Journal of Business Research, 2021, 135, pp.508-518. ⟨10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.06.050⟩. ⟨hal-03331808⟩