Suit up or dress down: exploring the impact of CEO attire on corporate perceptions
| Date | 14 August 2024 |
| Pages | 914-928 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JPBM-11-2023-4827 |
| Published date | 14 August 2024 |
| Author | Xiaobing Xu,Wei Huang,Lanping Cheng,Haijiao Shi |
Suit up or dress down: exploring the impact of
CEO attire on corporate perceptions
Xiaobing Xu, Wei Huang and Lanping Cheng
Department of Business Administration, International School of Business, Hainan University, Haikou, China, and
Haijiao Shi
Department of Marketing, School of Business, Beijing Technology and Business University, Beijing, China
Abstract
Purpose –This study aims to investigate the influence of CEO attire formality on consumers’perceptions of corporate image,drawing on first
impression theory and spillover effect theory.
Design/methodology/approach –Four experimental studies were conducted to test the proposed effect, the underlying mechanism and the
boundary condition.
Findings –The formality of CEO attire significantly influences consumers’perceptions of corporate image. Specifically, formal CEO attir e creates a
stronger perception of corporate authority among consumers, mediated by perceived rule-following of the CEO. In contrast, informal CEO attire
leads to a stronger perception of corporate friendliness, mediated by perceived psychological distance of the CEO. Moreover, a matching effect
exists between the type of industry and CEO attire formality, where consumers perceive a greater match between authoritative industries and
formally dressed CEOs, and between friendly industries and informally dressed CEOs. This alignment strengthens consumers’corporate attitudes.
Practical implications –The findings offer valuable insights for CEOs aiming to foster a positive image through their attire, providing strategic
guidance for aligning corporate image with industry characteristics.
Originality/value –This research extends the understanding of how consumers’perceptions of CEO attire can spill over to affectthe corporate
image, offering a novel perspective on corporate image communication.
Keywords CEO attire formality, CEO image, Corporate image, Rule-following, Psychological distance
Paper type Research paper
1. Introduction
CEOs consciously use their clothing to shape their personal image
(Maran et al.,2021;Sharma and Grant, 2011). They generally
concur and typically adhere to formal dress codes by wearing suits
(Maran et al., 2021). For example, David Solomon, the CEO of
Goldman Sachs, emphasized in an exclusive interview with Yahoo
Finance (March 13, 2019) that a formal dress code for CEOs is
beneficial for personal image and corporate culture. However, some
CEOs do not endorse this formal dress style. Steve Jobs, the founder
and former CEO of Apple Inc., wore informal clothes, such as
sneakers and turtlenecks, during important product presentations to
differentiate himself from his competitors, who wore suits and
appeared rigid (Sharma and Grant, 2011). Mark Zuckerberg, the
founder and CEO of Facebook, is also known for wearing T-shirts
and hoodies to work (Sotak et al.,2024).The question arises:
Q1.How do consumers react to CEOs’attire?
Q2.Might the different dress styles (formal vs informal)
affect consumers’perceptions of CEO image and
corporate image?
Attire formality is an essential dimension of dressing style, which
can be categorized into formal and informal attire (Johnson et al.,
2008). Differences between formal and informal attire are
reflected not only in dressing occasions but also in their impact
on consumer perception, a subject that has garnered increasing
attention in marketing research. Previous research suggests that
formal attire can enhance the perception of moral sense (Sotak
et al.,2024), status (Barry and Weiner, 2019) and abilities (e.g.
Roehrens et al.,2022), while informal attire can enhance the
perception of creativity (Karl et al., 2013), charisma (Maran et al.,
2021)andwarmth(Oliveret al.,2022).
Existing research has several gaps. Prior research has
predominantly focused on the impact of attire style on wearers’
personal image perception. Little is known about how CEO attire
style will influence corporate image perception. This study
proposes that CEO attire formality can initially affect the CEO’s
image perception, and subsequently spillover to the corporate
level, ultimately influencing corporate image perception.
Moreover, corporate authority and friendliness are two critical
dimensions of corporate image (Xu et al.,2017). Existing
The current issue and full text archiveof this journal is available on Emerald
Insight at: https://www.emerald.com/insight/1061-0421.htm
Journal of Product & Brand Management
33/7 (2024) 914–928
© Emerald Publishing Limited [ISSN 1061-0421]
[DOI 10.1108/JPBM-11-2023-4827]
This work was supported by the [Hainan Natural Science Foundation]
under Grant [number 721RC517]; [National Natural Science Foundation
of China] under Grant [number 72162012 and number 72302011].
Received 20 November 2023
Revised 21 February 2024
13 May 2024
18 July 2024
Accepted 18 July 2024
914
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