Maria A. Rodas

Culture and Consumer Behavior

In this chapter, we review academic research on how culture impacts consumer behavior and persuasion. We focus on findings related to the two most common approaches used to model the behavior of cross-cultural consumers: the cultural syndromes approach and the dynamic constructivist theory of culture. We close the chapter by outlining a future agenda for research in cross-cultural consumer behavior.

The Cultural Meaning of Brands

In this monograph, we introduce a conceptual framework to understand: (1) How globalization is changing the marketplace and the way consumers bring cultural meanings and identities to the fore of their minds, (2) the mechanisms by which brands acquire cultural meanings (i.e., from simple country-(or region-)-of-origin associations to the more complex enactment of cultural authority), (3) the tools that marketers have to purposefully imbue brands with cultural meanings that can resonate with culturally-diverse consumers (i.e., the tools to create cultural equity), and (4) how consumers respond to the cultural meanings in brands for fulfilling their goals.