Zeynep Gürhan-Canli

Cultural Variations in Country of Origin Effects

The authors examine the extent to which cultural orientation influences country of origin effects on product evaluations in two countries (Japan and the United States). Subjects were given attribute information about a mountain bike made in either Japan or the United States. The target product was described as either superior or inferior to competition. Respondents in Japan evaluated the product that originated in the home country (versus foreign country) more favorably regardless of product superiority. In contrast, respondents in the United States evaluated the product that originated in the home country more favorably only when the product was superior to competition. The authors explain these findings on the basis of the cultural psychological principles of individualism and collectivism. Specifically, the authors show that the vertical dimension of individualism and collectivism explains country of origin effects. The authors also discuss implications for global marketing strategies featuring country of origin.

When Corporate Image Affects Product Evaluations: The Moderating Role of Perceived Risk

In two experiments, the authors show that corporate image associations with innovation and trustworthiness (but not social responsibility) influence product evaluations more when consumers perceive high (versus low) risk in the product purchase. Their findings extend previous research by identifying perceived risk as a moderator of the effects of corporate image on product evaluations. The authors discuss implications for the conditions governing the “flow-through” of corporate image to individual product evaluations.

'My' Brand or 'Our' Brand: The Effects of Brand Relationship Dimensions and Self-Construal on Brand Evaluations

Consumer-brand relationships can be formed based on individual- or group-level connections. For example, a consumers relationship with a Mercedes may be based on the desire to express individual-level unique identity (e.g., self-concept connection), whereas a relationship with a local brand (e.g., Ford) may be based on a group-level patriotic national identity (e.g., country-of-origin connection). We suggest that the effects of self-concept connection and brand country-of-origin connection vary based on self-construal. Results across two studies reveal that, under independent self-construal, self-concept connection is more important. Under interdependent self-construal, brand country-of-origin connection is more important. (c) 2007 by JOURNAL OF CONSUMER RESEARCH, Inc..

Determinants of Country-of-Origin Evaluations

Two experiments examined the factors that influence and the psychological processes that underlie country-of-origin evaluations. Subjects received attribute information that was either condensed in a single product or dispersed across several products manufactured in a country with relatively unfavorable associations. When consumers use country of origin as a basis for judgment under low motivation, or when the processing goal is to evaluate the country of origin, they focus on the country-of-origin information. Under such conditions, relevant evidence about the country of origin provided by dispersed information is likely to affect country-of-origin evaluations. In contrast, if consumers do not focus on the country of origin, such as under high motivation, or if their processing goal directs their attention away from country-of-origin information, any evidence about the country of origin is less likely to be utilized in their judgments. Findings from two experiments are consistent with this theorizing and highlight the central role of motivational intensity and direction in moderating the effect of information type on country-of-origin evaluations. Copyright 2000 by the University of Chicago.

The Effects of Extensions on the Family Brand Name: An Accessibility-Diagnosticity Perspective

Previous research has led to mixed findings regarding the effect of extensions on the family brand name. This research identifies “accessibility of extension information” as a factor that moderates the effects of the valence of extension information and extension category on brand evaluations. Under higher accessibility, negative information about the extension led to dilution and positive information led to enhancement of the family brand regardless of extension category. Under lower accessibility, extension information affected evaluations based on category diagnosticity. Negative information about a close (vs. far) extension led to dilution and positive information about a far (vs. close) extension led to enhancement.

Drawing Inferences About Others on the Basis of Corporate Associations

This research examined how observers use corporate associations (e.g., environmental responsibility) in drawing inferences about a target consumers’ dispositions (e.g., whether the target person really cares about the environment). Respondents read a scenario describing a target consumer purchasing a certain brand of pens, whose maker had recently teamed up with an environmental organization. It was found that target-related factors (e.g., impression motivation, the consistency of behavior) and company-related factors (e.g., the congruity of the supported cause with the companys’ reputation) systematically influenced the dispositional inferences made by the observers.

The Effect of Expected Variability of Product Quality and Attribute Uniqueness on Family Brand Evaluations

This research investigates the processes by which consumers evaluate a family brand on the basis of information about its products. Findings from three experiments suggest that the expected variability of individual product quality within the brand and attribute uniqueness systematically influence information processing and family brand evaluations. On-line (vs. memory-based) processing of information to form family brand judgments is more likely when expected variability is low (vs. high) and when the attributes are shared (vs. unique) within the family brand. These different processes lead to differences in family brand evaluations due to primacy (on-line processing) and recency (memory-based processing) effects. Copyright 2003 by the University of Chicago.

Effect of Regulatory Focus on Selective Information Processing

Individuals tend to selectively rely on information consistent with their attitudes or decisions. In this research, we examine the possibility that regulatory focus influences selective information processing. We find that individuals selectively rely on information consistent with their regulatory orientation under high (vs. low) information load. Specifically, under high information load, relative reliance on positive (vs. negative) information is greater for promotion-focused (vs. prevention-focused) individuals. Consequently, when information load is high, promotion-focused (vs. prevention-focused) individuals have higher brand evaluations. Under low information load, individuals also rely on information inconsistent with their regulatory orientation. Specifically, under low information load, relative reliance on positive (vs. negative) information is greater for prevention-focused (vs. promotion-focused) individuals. As a result, when information load is low, prevention-focused (vs. promotion-focused) individuals have higher brand evaluations.

Base-Rate Information in Consumer Attributions of Product-Harm Crises

Consumers spontaneously construct attributions for negative events such as product-harm crises. Base-rate information influences these attributions. The research findings suggest that for brands with positive prior beliefs, a high (vs. low) base rate of product-harm crises leads to less blame if the crisis is said to be similar to others in the industry (referred to as the “discounting effect”). However, in the absence of similarity information, a low (vs. high) base rate of crises leads to less blame toward the brand (referred to as the “subtyping effect”). For brands with negative prior beliefs, the extent of blame attributed to the brand is unaffected by the base-rate and similarity information. Importantly, the same base-rate information may have a different effect on the attribution of a subsequent crisis depending on whether discounting or subtyping occurred in the attribution of the first crisis. Consumers who discount a first crisis also tend to discount a second crisis for the same brand, whereas consumers who subtype a first crisis are unlikely to subtype again.

Consumers and brands across the globe: research synthesis and new directions

Extensive research has investigated branding practices, processes, and consumers’ reactions to brands in a globalized world. In this review, the authors aim to organize and synthesize the growing literature on branding, culture, and globalization from a behavioral perspective by reviewing 129 articles published over 25 years. Specifically, they explicate two perspectives found in the literature: (1) global-local branding and (2) the influence of culture on consumer and brand interactions. The authors identify conceptual gaps in the literature and discuss how new realities in the macro environment (e.g., political issues, digital transformation, environmental concerns) may affect the interaction between culture, brands, and consumers in a globalized world. This review facilitates a more impactful future research agenda in both theory and practice at the interface of branding and globalization from the perspective of behavioral outcomes.