`They don't want us to become them': Brand Local Integration and consumer ethnocentrism

This paper investigates whether positioning strategies of foreign brands that integrate bothforeign and ‘localised’ dimensions of country-of-origin (COO) appeals shape perceptions andattitudes of domestically-biased consumers. Ethnocentric consumers hold strong favourableattitudes toward local-perceived brands. At the same time, brand positioning strategies oflocal brands acquired by multinational corporations and of foreign brands entering the localmarket often integrate foreign COO appeals with locally-relevant manufacturing and/orsymbolic appeals. The results indicate that foreign brand identities that integrate ‘localised’appeals communicating respect of local traditions (through the use of local images, symbolsand recipes) and contribution to the local society’s well-being (through local manufacture,employment, use of local ingredients) lead to more favourable consumer perceptions. Indistinguishing between ‘purely foreign’ and ‘locally integrated foreign brands’, consumersperceive the latter to be more acceptable for consumption. The paper concludes byconsidering the implications of the findings and outlining directions for further research.
Publisher statement: This is a preprint of an article submitted for consideration in the Journal of Marketing Management © 2012 copyright Taylor & Francis. The Journal of Marketing Management is available online at: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0267257X.2012.698634