The Effect of Social Comparison on Brand Addiction: Elucidating the Mediating Role of Materialism among Apple Brand Customers

Document Type : Original Article

Author
Saeid Jahangiri
M.A. in Business Management, Marketing, Faculty of Humanities, Shahr-e-Rey Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
10.22034/jmek.2026.603699.1211
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of social comparison on brand addiction, with the mediating role of materialism, among Apple brand customers. The study was applied in purpose and descriptive-survey and correlational in method. The population consisted of Apple brand customers, and 384 participants were included in the final analysis. Data were collected using a standard questionnaire based on Lee's (2020) model with a five-point Likert scale, and analyzed with SPSS and SmartPLS 3 using partial least squares structural equation modeling. The results showed that social comparison had a positive and significant effect on materialism, and materialism had a positive and significant effect on brand addiction. The direct effect of social comparison on brand addiction was also positive and significant. Brand addiction, in turn, positively and significantly affected willingness to pay a price premium and word of mouth. The indirect effect of social comparison on brand addiction through materialism was 0.278 and the total effect was 0.442; therefore, materialism played a partial mediating role, and approximately 62.9 percent of the total effect was transmitted through this path. Reliability and validity indices supported the measurement model. Social comparison, by strengthening materialistic values, can foster consumers' stronger dependence on symbolic brands. These results can guide managers of symbolic brands, particularly Apple, in designing communication strategies and retaining customers; however, the use of social comparison in marketing communications should be accompanied by ethical considerations and a balance between symbolic and functional values, so as to prevent unhealthy consumption.
Keywords
Social Comparison
Materialism
Brand Addiction
Willingness to Pay
Word of Mouth.
Subjects
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  • Receive Date 16 June 2026
  • Revise Date 12 July 2026
  • Accept Date 19 September 2026