– The purpose of this paper is to explain how the role of marketing for luxury brands can be re-thought in order to ensure that such brands establish a strong connection between their luxury image and positive social and environmental values.
– The findings are based upon qualitative empirical research which informed a new categorisation of consumer motivations, through the application of self-determination theory which shows how concerns for environmental and social sustainability can be integrated with individual psychological needs.
– The findings provide a deep understanding of consumers of luxury-eco products which could be used by marketing practitioners to shape socially responsible purchasing decisions.
– The research was designed for theory building, not theory-testing, so future research would be needed to study the efficacy of the recommended strategies for encouraging eco-luxury behaviour.
– To increase the likelihood of practical applications, the authors follow the presentation of their findings with suggestions and examples for marketing to each of the consumer types identified by their research.
– The findings of this research have implications of a global, environmental and social kind. The societal adoption of eco-luxury consumption is about educating consumer desire, shifting it from its current focus on personal satisfaction, to a higher level of personal and social flourishing.
– The findings effectively support the claims of self-determination theory by demonstrating how and why consumer motivations differ and how an improved sense of well-being can be achieved through internalised levels of self-determination.
