Article
Ticking the Right Strategy: Effects of High-Pressure Vs. Consultative Advertising on Consumer Trust and Purchase Intention in the Indian Watch Market
Purpose: Digital marketing has made advertising loud and aggressive especially with tactics that create a sense of urgency like limited time deals and discounts. When it comes to luxury items this approach does not always work well. This study looks at a way of doing things: do people respond better to pressure or to stories and history when it comes to luxury watches like the Seiko Presage. This study presents an empirical within-subjects experimental investigation into how these two contrasting advertising styles influence consumer purchase intention, brand trust, and perceived luxury value in the Indian watch market context.
Design/Methodology/Approach- Two professionally designed digital advertisement mockups for the Seiko Presage — Ad A (high-pressure, discount-led) and Ad B (consultative, heritage-led) — were systematically exposed to a sample of N = 180 Indian respondents. Data were collected via a structured Likert-scale survey instrument administered through Google Forms.
Findings- Statistical analyses comprising paired-samples t-tests and Cohen's d effect size calculations revealed that consultative advertising (Ad B) significantly outperformed high-pressure advertising (Ad A) across all three dependent variables: purchase intention (t(179) = 4.37, p < .001, d = 1.03), brand trust (t(179) = 3.90, p = .001, d = 0.92), and perceived luxury value (t(179) = 5.33, p < .001, d = 1.26).These results align with Psychological Reactance Theory (Brehm, 1966) and the theoretical framework of Relationship Marketing, suggesting that coercive advertising triggers resistance and brand dilution in high-involvement luxury purchase contexts. The findings offer actionable strategic implications for luxury brand managers navigating the digital advertising landscape in emerging markets such as India.
Originality/Value- This study contributes to the luxury marketing literature by providing empirical evidence on the effectiveness of contrasting digital advertising strategies in an emerging market context. Drawing on Psychological Reactance Theory and Relationship Marketing perspectives, the research demonstrates that coercive advertising may undermine trust and perceived exclusivity in luxury consumption settings. The findings offer practical guidance for luxury brand managers seeking to optimize digital communication strategies and strengthen consumer-brand relationships in India’s growing luxury watch market.