What is Conspicuous Consumption?

Conspicuous consumption is the act of buying things as a symbol of your economic status. Wealth is a type of social status and purchasing brands or products that are known to be expensive conveys social signals.

Luxury Goods & Charity

Conspicuous consumption is most often associated with luxury fashion, automobiles and jewelry. However, the term includes any highly visible display of wealth. For example, high profile contributions to charity can also be considered conspicuous consumption. The ultimate example of this is creating a charitable foundation in one's own name. Giving to charity in secret is more likely to have noble motivations than charity-for-publicity arrangements.

Conspicuous Conservation

Conspicuous conservation is the theory that customers choose highly visible sustainable brands or green products such as bicycles because it conveys a social signal that they're a good person.

Overview: Conspicuous Consumption
Type	Subculture
Definition	Spending motivated by a desire to make wealth visible.
Implications	Marketing Branding Message Framing Sales Promotion
Related Topics	Conspicuous Conservation Bespoke Haute Couture Subculture