Drivers of Brand Commitment: A Cross-National Investigation

Abstract

Firms increasingly employ global brand management strategies for the effective coordination of their global activities. Effective coordination requires adapting global brand management strategies to cultural nuances. This study examines the influence of culture on the impact of four key brand management elements (i.e., brand innovativeness, brand customer orientation, brand self-relevance, and social responsibility) on customer commitment to a brand. Using responses from 167 U.K. and 230 Chinese consumers, the authors empirically demonstrate that brand innovativeness and brand self-relevance have a greater effect on brand commitment in cultures that are individualist, short-term oriented, and low on power distance (i.e., the United Kingdom), while brand customer orientation and social responsibility have a greater impact on brand commitment in cultures that are collectivist, long-term oriented, and high on power distance (i.e., China). Furthermore, the findings reveal that in collectivist, long-term-oriented, and high-power-distance cultures, the four brand management activities equally contribute to brand commitment. The research informs global brand managers wanting to optimize brand positioning and strengthen customers’ brand commitment across cultures.

Consumer perceptions of CSR: (how) is China different?

“…Conversely, regarding a possible positive impact of consumers, Chinese respondents scored by far the lowest (11%), Brazilians as highest (57%), with other emerging and developed countries in between. Interestingly, and despite the popularity of the CSR concept in China, this country has been underexposed in the academic literature, also in comparative research (Eisingerich and Rubera (2010) is an exception).…”

“…For organic products and green products, however, support level are still low, although growth can be seen. A second area of study explores drivers of Chinese consumers for supporting CSR (Chan, 2001;Deng, 2012;Eisingerich and Rubera, 2010;Liu et al, 2012;Ramasamy et al, 2010;Sirieix et al, 2011;Tian et al, 2011). Three broad sets of drivers have been mentioned: 1) psychological factors (e.g.…”

Untitled

“…Customer Engagement Marketing aims at creating, stimulating and influencing customers' attitudes. Brodie et al (2011) provided a broad and rigorous theoretical analysis of the CE concept. The authors have examined the use of the term ''engagement'' in the social science, management, and marketing academic literature, as well as in specific business practice applications and suggest that in the marketing field, the concept has its theoretical roots in the S-D logic and the expanded domain of relationship marketing.…”

“…The authors have examined the use of the term ''engagement'' in the social science, management, and marketing academic literature, as well as in specific business practice applications and suggest that in the marketing field, the concept has its theoretical roots in the S-D logic and the expanded domain of relationship marketing. The S-D logic of marketing Lusch, 2004, 2008) advances that each customer is a resource integrating and a value-creating entity and points out the importance of customers' proactive contributions in the co-creation of personalized experiences through active, explicit and ongoing dialogue and interactions (Hollebeek, 2011). In the same sense, Hollebeek (2011) addresses customer engagement from the customer-brand perspective and defines customer engagement with a specific brand (Customer Brand Engagement) as "the level of a customer's cognitive, emotional and behavioral investment in specific brand interactions", and identifies three CE dimensions: immersion (cognitive), passion (emotional) and activation (behavioral).…”

“…Some researches on Customer Engagement have mainly relied on qualitative and descriptive case studies to explain the conceptualization of Customer Engagement (Brodie et al, 2011) or outline conceptual frameworks of consumer Cocreation (Hoyer, et al 2010). Some other researches have addressed customers' motives to engage in co-ideation, cocreation, or word-of-mouth activities and have focused on the motivational nature of customer engagement in collaborative product development (Zwass, 2010;Füller, 2010;Antikainen, 2011;Vivek et al, 2012;Roberts et al 2014).…”