Motivation, Rationalizations and Risks Associated with the Consumption of Counterfeit Luxury Brands

Consumers’ demand for counterfeit luxury brands is one of the leading causes of the apparent upsurge in growth of the counterfeiting phenomenon in recent years. This research identifies more of the motivations that drive the consumption of higher involvement goods and the associated psychological coping strategies. In particular, this research highlights new insights (e.g., rationalization and ‘thrill of the hunt’) behind counterfeit consumption motivations and the associated emotional outcomes (embarrassment, shame and positive hedonic outcomes) that consumers experience during counterfeit consumption. This research also reveals neutralization techniques (denial of responsibility and appealing to higher loyalties) that consumers adopt in order to cope with the cognitive dissonance associated with counterfeit consumption. The contribution of the research to both theoretical and managerial conversations is latterly discussed.