Influence of Consumer Affinity toward Foreign Countries on Consumers’ Regulatory Focuses

Abstract

Expanding cross-cultural social interaction regardless of whether it is real or virtual makes consumers become interested in different cultures, thereby increasing the number of consumers with positive attitudes toward foreign countries. This study examines the role of consumer affinity-a feeling of sympathy and attachment to a specific foreign country-in cross-cultural consumer decision-making. Specifically, it investigates the conditions that promote or inhibit consumer affinity for foreign product evaluation from the perspective of construal level theory and regulatory focus theory. A series of experiments clarified that when considering the purchase of a foreign product, consumer affinity caused a psychological proximity between the two countries, which could result in a change in consumers' construal level and, therefore, a difference in the effective method of a product appeal (promotion-focused vs. prevention-focused). This psychological mechanism will expand the research on effective communication strategies when marketing products or services globally.

Understanding the origin and evolution of affinity as a multidisciplinary concept: A conceptual approach to consumer affinity

“…Another concern is the influence of consumer affinity between different product categories and distinct brands (Terasaki et al, 2021). Therefore, future research should examine if there is a potential relationship between product type and the degree of affinity developed by consumers.…”

“…Bernard and Zarrouk-Karoui (2014) suggest, from an interactionist point of view, that affinity depends on both the object's characteristics and the subject's T A B L E 5 Clusters of keywords in the affinity literature appreciation of those characteristics. It fits into the logic of the Theory of Emotional Attachment of Bowlby (1979) as the attachment or the affinity to an object affects both the interactions between the individual and the specific referent (brand, country, country-brand, see e.g., Terasaki et al, 2021).…”

“…After the empirical study of Oberecker and Diamantopoulos (2011), new conceptual proposals arise to model affinity (e.g., Nes et al, 2014; Papadopoulos et al, 2017; Wongtada et al, 2012) along with several adaptations/replications (i.e., Cakici & Shukla, 2017; Guo et al, 2018; Halim & Zulkarnain, 2017; Rabêlo‐Neto et al, 2019). According to the multidimensional conceptualizations of consumer affinity (see Figure 4), the pioneer empirical study of Oberecker and Diamantopoulos (2011) assumed that consumer affinity was based on soft (sympathy) and intense (attachment) positive emotions toward a specific referent (foreign country), and many subsequent investigations were built exclusively on these two dimensions (e.g., Bernard & Zarrouk‐Karoui, 2014; Cakici & Shukla, 2017; Guo et al, 2018; Halim & Zulkarnain, 2017; Naseem et al, 2015; Rabêlo‐Neto et al, 2019; Terasaki et al, 2021). Additionally, most studies have provided a multidimensional approach to this concept, mostly founded on the seminal work by Oberecker et al (2008).…”

“…Consumer affinity literature has explored consumer favorable emotions/sentiments toward a focal country and its products and companies (e.g., Asseraf & Shoham, 2017; Cakici & Shukla, 2017; Ercis & Celik, 2019; Fazli‐Salehi et al, 2021; Guo et al, 2018; Terasaki et al, 2021). However, research devoted to achieving a consistent theoretical framework for this concept has been scarce and insufficient, showing a lack of consensus concerning the conceptual foundations of this notion.…”

“…In this sense, Cakici and Shukla (2017, p. 356) note that “research has paid little attention to consumer affinity” since, as Riefler (2017, pp. 104–105) highlights, the concept is “rather young” and “a coherent and more holistic picture of marketing‐relevant consequences is yet to be developed.” Therefore, “little is known about the influence of positive country affect and devotion on global business” (Terasaki et al, 2021, p. 1). In sum, the recent but growing interest in consumer affinity in the context of foreign products consumption, and the lack of a systematic and updated review of studies focused on this concept, calls for research that provides a comprehensive understanding of this notion outside of other approaches to affinity developed both in Marketing and in other disciplines.…”