One of the greatest challenges in education marketing is designing effective marketing messages, especially when targeting consumers with different cultural backgrounds. This research examines the impact of power distance belief (PDB) on the persuasiveness of affective appeal versus cognitive appeal in education marketing messages. The authors theorize that low-PDB consumers tend to prefer education products presented with affective appeal because of their process learning mindset that focuses on self-discovery and self-development. By contrast, high-PDB consumers tend to prefer education products presented with cognitive appeal because of their outcome learning mindset that focuses on acquiring skills and social/economic gains relevant to such skills. These effects were supported by converging results from four experiments, a field study, and a content analysis across 37 countries using a wide range of education products and services. This research contributes to the literature on PDB, education, and cross-cultural consumer behavior and provides guidelines for global education marketers.
Previous research assumes a universal left-digit effect on price cognition, that is, people tend to perceive nine-ending prices smaller than a price one cent higher. We argue against the universality of this effect based on cultural differences. Furthermore, we propose that thinking styles (i.e., analytic vs. holistic) underlie the cultural effect on consumers' perception of price magnitude.We test our hypotheses with two studies. First, we conduct a study with native Chinese speakers and measure the level of holistic thinking. Our results indicate that the nine-ending effect does not replicate in a Chinese sample and that the level of holistic thinking, as measured, moderates the effect. In our second study, we conduct a more direct test of the theoretical explanation. We utilize a Western sample and find support that thinking style moderates the universality of the nine-ending price effect.Our research is the first to examine the nine-ending price effect, routinely accepted in Western cultures as universal, in a cross-cultural setting. The implications for marketing practice and academic research are far reaching. Specifically, cultural aspects may play a role in price cognition for the nine-ending effect and other pricing tactics that are commonly accepted in theory and practice.References Available Upon Request
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