social comparison theory and marketing

It may be obvious by this point, but marketing capitalizes on our desire to compare ourselves to others. Particularly, in a world full of social comparison through social media, we are easily influenced just by knowing that our friends, family, and peers are purchasing a particular product or service. If you think about it, entire industries (like the beauty industry or the perfume/cologne industry) are constructed around the premise that we compare ourselves to others. Is it harmful in any way for you to have wrinkles, or to have yellow teeth, or to have a normal level of body odor? No probably not, but we want to look and even smell like those around us. Read this website (Links to an external site.) that discusses a particularly interesting product for beautification. It may seem like a silly product, but as the author points out, it may not be any sillier than other products commonly used for beauty purposes.

Respond to the following questions below:

Are there any purchases you have made exclusively due to social comparison?

Or, are there any purchases you have made that you were unhappy with afterward due to social comparison?