Too popular or too human? When contagion-relevant cues reinterpret social product strategies

Purpose This study examines how contagion-relevant cues reshape consumer responses to two distinct social product strategies: mass-market versus niche-market positioning and product anthropomorphism. It tests whether perceived contact risk provides a common psychological mechanism linking these strategies to purchase intention. Design/methodology/approach Three studies comprising four between-subjects experiments were conducted. Study 1 (N = 584) used a 2 (market positioning) × 3 (cue condition) design, while Study 2 (N = 380) used a 2 (product anthropomorphism) × 2 (cue condition) design. Study 3 (N = 757) comprised two independent 2 × 2 experiments examining both strategies separately within the same product category. Data were analyzed using ANOVA and bootstrapped moderated-mediation analyses. Findings In Study 1, mass-market positioning increased purchase intention under neutral and general-illness cues, but this advantage disappeared under contagion-relevant cues. In Study 2, the favorable effect of anthropomorphism under neutral cues reversed under contagion-relevant cues. Perceived contact risk accounted for stronger negative conditional indirect effects under contagion-relevant conditions. Studies 3a and 3b provided convergent evidence within a common product category. Originality/value This research integrates two distinct product-association strategies through their links to consumer collectives and simulated human presence. It identifies perceived contact risk as a shared product-specific mechanism and establishes contagion relevance as a boundary condition for the effectiveness of these strategies.