History's Connection with Luxury Goods by Sarah Norwood

Paul Bloom's Argument

smn154 — 2025-02-16 00:29:49 UTC

In the article "Lure of Luxury", Bloom clearly argues that the reason for people buying these high priced luxury items is not only the fact that it gives them status or to show them off to flex on others hence the signaling theory, rather it's because of the deep rooted history that is connected to these items which makes them worth having in the buyer's eyes in addition to the aesthetics. He stated "It is clear, though, that we can be influenced by the history of an object even when it has nothing to do with communicating status or with differences in quality" (Bloom 5) which argues that history has a major influence on whether people buy particular items or not. It shows that there's more to the thought process behind the consumer when they think about buying certain products. Throughout the text he emphasizes this idea with multiple examples that support his claim.

Claim 1 (History)

smn154 — 2025-02-16 01:47:00 UTC

One claim that Bloom goes over in the text talks about how people refuse to buy identical looking knock offs because they don't have the same history as the authentic version would. There's a story behind the luxury item which makes it more valued than an item that's only purpose is to be a replica. It goes to show that people don't buy these with only the intention to brag to others or flaunt their wealth.

Evidence for Claim 1

smn154 — 2025-02-16 02:21:37 UTC

The Rolex example supports the claim of people buying the authentic version rather than a fake knock off. In Miller's book "Spent: Sex, Evolution, and Consumer Behavior (2009)" he goes in depth on how theres cheaper alternatives on the market that look identical to the real deal, to the naked eye no one can tell the difference and to check its authenticity only experts could differentiate them. Despite those versions existing, Rolex's prices have stayed the same and is still in business till this day. He goes on to say "there are apparently enough shoppers who pay a premium of about $29,000 for an authenticity that makes no perceptible difference" (Bloom 5). This demonstrates how the item's history is preserving its value. People will pay that price in exchange of knowing they have the real item.

Claim 3 (Signaling)

smn154 — 2025-02-17 16:31:21 UTC

In addition, he states that signaling theory could be part of the explanation for why people buy luxury items but it is not the full reasoning behind it.

Evidence for Claim 1

smn154 — 2025-02-17 16:38:53 UTC

In the text it is stated that "President John F. Kennedy’s golf clubs sold for $772,500, and a tape measure from the Kennedy household sold for $48,875" (Bloom 6). Barack Obama's toast was also sold alongside Britney Spear's chewed bubble gum. If those items were not previously owned by those famous people they would not have gone for thousands of dollars, especially if it was already used which supports the idea of the importance of history

Evidence for Claim 1

smn154 — 2025-02-17 17:20:15 UTC

Bruce Hood who's a psychologist "duplicated" teddy bears that belong to children and gave them the option to pick one. He stated that they tended to want the original. They know what their teddy bear is like because of the history they've had with it whether they slept with it, took it to places and theres most likely imperfections on it. They might not have that bond with the fake teddy because they value the attachment they have with the original.

Evidence for Claim 1

smn154 — 2025-02-17 19:30:20 UTC

The painting "The Supper at Emmaus" became uninteresting to the eyes after it was discovered that it actually wasn't made by the famous painter Vermeer, but another artist. People may have found it interesting before since it was tied to Vermeer and were interested in his backstory and how he made it. But after the truth came out, that history they thought it had vanished alongside the attention for the painting and that shows how important history is with relation to art work, who it was made by, how it was made, etc.

Claim 2 (Sensory)

smn154 — 2025-02-17 19:38:25 UTC

Bloom states that another reason to why people are so drawn to luxury goods is because of the sensory appeal that the item it gives off. People are attracted to said item because of it's quality, visual appearance, taste, and more. They would rather pay more for an item that will give them a better experience and best quality.

Evidence for Claim 3

smn154 — 2025-02-17 19:58:37 UTC

Postrel states "Though we are often unaware of it and might angrily deny it, we are driven to accumulate ostentatious goods to impress others" (Bloom 3). Some people might subconsciously think that what they are buying could impress their fellow pears but that might not contribute to the main reason to why they purchased the item. Further into the text, he shows examples of your neighbors being amazed of your new car or a stranger liking your beer choice. People most likely chose cars that they can afford and seems practical, not because of what other people think.

Evidence for Claim 2

smn154 — 2025-02-17 21:59:36 UTC

For this claim, people typically buy items because of how the item looks, how it smells (perfume), or what its made of. In the text Twitchell talks about a visit to the Armani store in beverly Hills with his daughter and how she was originally confused of the customers touching the suits. After looking around she started to be interested in the suits as well because of it's high quality fabric. He goes on to say that "Those clothes attract us as visual, tactile creatures, not because they are ‘rich in meaning’ but because they are rich in pleasure" (Bloom 4). In this situation people would buy the suits since it has such a high sensory appeal to the consumer from the quality. They were drawn in by the look of the product and bought it because of the aesthetic/pleasure.

Evidence for Claim 2

smn154 — 2025-02-22 20:44:38 UTC

Bloom states "Our beliefs about the hidden nature of things influence the most seemingly sensory experiences, such as the taste of food and drink. Protein bars taste worse if they are described as containing “soy protein,” ice cream tastes better when labeled “high fat". Studies reveal that areas of the brain associated with pleasure are more active if you believe that you are drinking expensive wine"(Bloom 8). This could show that labeling can impact the sensory appeal we have for certain items and can influence whether or not someone buys a product. The wine can be an example that people get gratification from spending money on a more expensive type of wine then some other brand that might be a cheaper alternative.

Evidence for Claim 3

smn154 — 2025-02-22 21:14:52 UTC

"Advertisements are often pure signaling fantasies. Studies reveal that when people look at products they judge to be “cool,” brain areas associated with praise and social approval are activated." (Bloom 3). Signaling theory can be connected to the idea that people buy items in order to gain social status amongst people. An example of this could be buying the latest tik tok trending item. I believe that the social media platform has had a huge influence on what people buy especially among young people. There are countless videos on tiktok of children getting bullied at school because they don't have a stanley. This could result in people buying items they don't need in order to feel like they "fit in".