Place–brand stereotypes: does stereotype-consistent messaging matter?
Journal of Product & Brand Management
ISSN: 1061-0421
Article publication date: 12 November 2018
Issue publication date: 7 December 2018
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to address an overarching question: Does matching consumer place–brand associations with stereotype-consistent messaging affect consumer perceptions of an advertisement?
Design/methodology/approach
This paper presents two experiments that examine participants’ differing evaluations of advertisements under various experimental conditions. Study 1 examines the match of place–brand warmth versus competence stereotypes and the use of symbolic versus utilitarian advertising messaging for both new foreign and domestic brands. Study 2 examines this match for global brands.
Findings
The paper reveals that stereotype-consistent messaging increases the perceived fit between the advertisement and the brand for new foreign brands but not for new domestic or global brands. Furthermore, in a post-hoc analysis, this congruence is found to improve attitude towards the brand, purchase intentions and brand response, through the mediating effect of attitude towards the ad.
Originality/value
Place–brand stereotypes impact consumer attitudes and opinions regarding brands from different countries. This paper applies two universal social judgment dimensions from social psychology—warmth and competence—to the novel context of advertising messaging to examine previously unexplored facets of the place–brand image.
Keywords
Citation
Bauer, B.C., Johnson, C.D. and Singh, N. (2018), "Place–brand stereotypes: does stereotype-consistent messaging matter?", Journal of Product & Brand Management, Vol. 27 No. 7, pp. 754-767. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPBM-10-2017-1626
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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