Social Product Visibility

What it measures

Five seven-point Likert-type items measure the degree to which a product is perceived as socially public—that is, whether owning and using it would make the consumer visible to and evaluable by others. Items address whether others would know about the purchase, evaluate it, observe usage, ask questions about it, and require explanation of the choice. The scale was developed to measure social risk as a product category characteristic.

Response format

7-point Likert (1=strongly disagree, 7=strongly agree)

Scale items

• If I buy a __________, other people are likely to know that I own and use it.
• If I buy a __________, other people are likely to evaluate my purchase.
• If I buy a __________, people will see me using it.
• If I buy a __________, people will ask me questions about it.
• If I buy a __________, I will probably have to explain to some people how I chose it.

Full scale items shown. Always cite the original source when using this scale in research.

Usage notes & scoring

Original to DelVecchio and Smith (2005). Alpha of .814. Items loaded together in factor analysis but no further validity examination was reported. The focal product name or description should be placed in the blanks. Relevant to studies of conspicuous consumption, social risk, and brand extension evaluation.

Citation

DelVecchio, D., & Smith, D. C. (2005). Brand-extension price premiums: The effects of perceived fit and extension product category risk. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 33(2), 184–196.

Keywords