The Impact of Formal and Informal Pronouns of Address on Product Price Estimation

Bibliographic Data

ID5900967
AuthorsHelen De Hoop (0000-0001-8652-1146, Radboud University Nijmegen, corresponding author), Ward Boekesteijn (Radboud University Nijmegen), Martijn Doolaard (Radboud University Nijmegen), Niels Van Wel (Radboud University Nijmegen), Lotte Hogeweg (0000-0002-9300-0258, Radboud University Nijmegen), Ferdy Hubers (0000-0002-2298-6013, Radboud University Nijmegen)
Year2024
Volume9
Issue9
Pages290
Publication date2024-08-30
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueLanguages (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2226-471X • E-ISSN: 2226-471X
PublisherMDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT)
DOI10.3390/languages9090290
OpenAlexW4402051233
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited25

Previous literature has examined the effect of using a formal or informal second-person pronoun on consumers' appreciation of an advertisement and the advertised product and their purchase intention. This is the first study that additionally examines the effect of the use of either pronoun on product price estimation. In a between-subjects web experiment, Dutch participants evaluated product ads in which either an informal or formal pronoun of address was used, or no pronoun of address at all (the control condition). Dependent variables were attitude towards the ad and the product, purchase intention, and price estimation. The results show that the use of the formal pronoun leads to a higher estimate of the price of the advertised product, while a higher price estimate may increase the purchase intention

Advertising · Business · Economics · Estimation · Linguistics · Product (mathematics · Pronoun · Reflexive pronoun · Consumer Behavior in Brand Consumption and Identification · Consumer Market Behavior and Pricing · Digital Marketing and Social Media · Mathematics · Psychology