Anthropomorphism and Consumer Behavior

Anthropomorphic creations abound in the marketplace. Engineers and product designers often mimic the human form in products such as the Koziol Pot Scrubber, the friendly face of the front of a Volkswagen Bug, and the Honda Asimo Robot. Advertisers and brand consultants often mimic the human form in their logos, such as TiVo and the Mac startup icon, as well as their nonhuman endorsers such as the Pillsbury Dough Boy and the Michelin Man. Assumptions about the effects of anthropomorphism influence strategic decision making by organizations. Consider for instance that until 2004, the Pittsburgh Zoo did not publicly name its animals, fearing the public would think of wild animals as pets or people (Fahy, 2004). The Pittsburgh Zoo assumed negative effects of anthropomorphism. However, an alternative positive effect could be an increase in potential visitors’ perceived attachment to the animals and thus to the zoo and its educational mission. Clearly, a greater understanding of anthropomorphism and consumer behavior can provide insight for a wide range of applications while also contributing to our general understanding of consumer cognition. An animated roundtable discussion among consumer researchers resulted in the following research questions ripe for further inquiry.