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Cross‐cultural influences on brand identity impressions: KFC in China and the United States

Terrence H. Witkowski (California State University, Long Beach)
Yulong Ma (California State University, Long Beach)
Dan Zheng (Qingdao University)

Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics

ISSN: 1355-5855

Article publication date: 1 April 2003

14629

Abstract

This research measured and compared the brand identity of Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) in China and the United States. Brand identity was defined as the customer impressions of four different KFC identity elements – properties, products, presentations, and publications. A survey of young consumers in the two countries (n = 795), showed that the Chinese respondents were more apt to eat within KFC restaurants, and spend more time doing so, than the Americans. The Chinese also had much more positive impressions of KFC than their US counterparts. Brand identity impressions were correlated with overall customer satisfaction and with future patronage intentions for both groups, but much more so for the Americans. These findings support a model where differences in cultural frames of reference lead consumers to actively localize the brand identity of this nominally globalized product.

Keywords

Citation

Witkowski, T.H., Ma, Y. and Zheng, D. (2003), "Cross‐cultural influences on brand identity impressions: KFC in China and the United States", Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, Vol. 15 No. 1/2, pp. 74-88. https://doi.org/10.1108/13555850310765088

Publisher

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MCB UP Ltd

Copyright © 2003, MCB UP Limited

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