Application of masstige theory and approaches for the marketing of smartphone brands in India

Abstract

'Masstige' is term emerged in the early years of the present century as an answer to the question - how the organisations are planning to penetrate in the emerging economies? 'Mass prestige' is commonly known as 'masstige'. Masstige marketing, evolved as a strategic activity, which focuses on effective market penetration and creating a competitive edge over competitors. The article measures masstige score of Apple, Xiaomi and Samsung using masstige mean index (MMI) developed by Paul (2018). Using a survey questionnaire, data was collected from 613 respondents from four major cities of central India. The data was collected from smartphone users owning Apple, Xiaomi, and Samsung brands. The results indicated that Apple, a US brand, had highest masstige score, in comparison to Xiaomi and Samsung. The results also indicated that gender, income, and age had a significant difference in opinion for brand masstige, brand perception, and propensity to pay premium prices for smartphone brands. The findings offer smartphone manufacturers with useful strategies and tactics to increase sales of smartphones in India depending upon mass prestige perceived by consumers. This study provides much needed empirical evidences about masstige which can be useful for developing marketing strategies in emerging economies.