PurposeThis study is designed to address how rising individualism in emerging Asia changes consumer values and subsequent consumer behavior toward foreign brands. For this, we investigate consumer animosity (CA) and consumer cosmopolitanism (COS) in China and their impacts on consumer dispositions toward Japanese brands.Design/methodology/approachThe study hypothesizes that CA and COS mediate the effects of consumer individualism and age on brand attitudes and purchase intentions. Online surveys were conducted with 421 consumers in China.FindingsThe results indicate that consumers with individualistic values show favorable dispositions toward Japanese brands because of weak CA and strong COS values. In addition, the study found that younger consumers also harbor weak CA and do not avoid Japanese brands because of it. However, younger consumers were not found to be more cosmopolitan than their older counterparts.Originality/valueOur findings suggest that the modernization and individualization of a society can have impacts on consumer values in emerging Asia and that changes in consumer values among young and individualistic consumers can lead to increased preferences for foreign brands, especially brands from a country with historical animosity.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate how corporate philanthropy (CP) can affect consumer perceptions of Japanese multinationals, for which there exists strong animosity in Asia, and how this animosity can be attenuated. Design/methodology/approach The study first examines Japanese firms in China (Study 1) and then Japanese, European and local firms in Korea (Study 2). Findings The results suggest that CP activities can have a positive effect on the consumer recognition of company localness and they can also attenuate company animosity for foreign multinationals. In addition, the findings suggest that Japanese multinationals can benefit greatly from CP activities in Asia than for domestic and other foreign firms. Research limitations/implications The study found that consumers do not have ethnocentric attribution biases in evaluations of CP activities by foreign multinationals, as suggested by attribution theory (Hewstone, 1990; Nisbett, 1971). Originality/value There is limited evidence supporting the effects of CP activities by foreign multinationals from a country of origin for which there exists strong animosity.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine how consumer ethnocentrism (CET) and cosmopolitanism (COS) may affect Asian consumers’ perceptions of out-group countries and their products, doing so by examining similar vs dissimilar countries across countries of origin. Given the strong inter-country rivalries that exist among Asian countries, the authors propose two alternative hypotheses, drawing from social identity theory and realistic group conflict theory. Design/methodology/approach To test the hypotheses, the authors examine consumer perceptions of both Western countries (dissimilar out-groups) and Asian countries (similar out-groups) within China (Study 1). In addition, the authors investigate how CET and COS affect consumer perceptions of Asian countries in Japan and in non-Asian dissimilar countries, and compare the effects between the two regions (Study 2). Findings The findings indicate that CET shows greater negative effects on perceptions of a country and its products, when the country is from a similar out-group than when it is from a dissimilar one. On the other hand, COS showed equally strong positive effects among consumers for both similar and dissimilar out-group countries. Research limitations/implications The results suggest that Asian consumers feel a sense of intergroup rivalry with other Asian countries, and, as a result, exhibit a greater degree of ethnocentric biases toward these countries and their products than they do toward Western countries and products. Also, the results suggest that COS may transcend national differences and inter-country rivalries in consumer consumption tendencies. Originality/value The study examines inter-country similarities as a moderator of CET and COS effects, which has not been extensively researched in the past. In addition, the study discusses the concept of intergroup rivalry among neighboring countries and examines how it affects consumer perceptions of out-group countries and their products in Asia, where strong inter-country rivalries exist.

PurposeThe study draws primarily on social identity theory and conceptualizes perceived brand localness (PBL) as a signal of in-group membership to local consumers and investigates how it affects consumer trust and purchase intentions for foreign brands in developing countries in Asia. In addition, the authors examine boundary conditions for these hypothesized PBL effects.Design/methodology/approachUsing consumer survey data from three countries in Southeast Asia (the Philippines, Vietnam and Myanmar), the authors empirically validate the positive effects of PBL on consumer trust and purchase intentions for foreign brands in developing countries.FindingsThe findings support the social identity theory conceptualization of PBL for foreign brands, in which it can create identification-based trust (Tanis and Postmes, 2005) and active ownership through a process of self-stereotyping (van Veelen et al., 2015).Originality/valueThe findings suggest that social identity theory can be a promising theoretical framework for conceptualizing PBL and gaining a deeper insight into its mechanization and how it impacts consumers.

No abstract