Measures perceptions of social groups, brands, and companies along two fundamental dimensions — Warmth and Competence — that jointly determine emotional and behavioural responses. Warmth captures perceived friendliness, trustworthiness, and benevolence — whether the target has good intentions toward others. Competence captures perceived ability, intelligence, and skill — whether the target can carry out those intentions. The Stereotype Content Model proposes that status predicts perceived competence and competition predicts perceived warmth (low competition = high warmth). The four quadrants formed by crossing warmth and competence predict distinct emotional reactions: pity (high warmth, low competence), envy (low warmth, high competence), contempt (low-low), and admiration (high-high). In consumer and marketing research, the SCM predicts reactions to brand personalities, corporate social responsibility, brand crises, spokesperson characteristics, and inclusive advertising.
Fiske, S.T., Cuddy, A.J.C., Glick, P., & Xu, J. (2002). A model of (often mixed) stereotype content: Competence and warmth respectively follow from perceived status and competition. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 82(6), 878–902.
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