A memory theory perspective of consumer ethnocentrism and animosity

Abstract

Purpose This study contends that consumer ethnocentrism and animosity rest on semantic and episodic memory, respectively. It further examines how the influence of consumer ethnocentrism and animosity on consumer boycott behaviour may vary over time and use the memory theory to explain these temporal differences. Design/methodology/approach Part 1 involved an experiment to demonstrate the relationship between consumer ethnocentrism/animosity and semantic/episodic memory. To determine the temporal characteristics of consumer ethnocentrism and animosity, Part 2 involved two quantitative surveys (one each in China and Japan), followed by another two surveys six months later. Findings Part 1 showed that consumer ethnocentrism and animosity were underpinned by semantic and episodic memory, respectively. Consistent with memory theory, Part 2 found that consumer ethnocentrism was temporally more stable than animosity. Consumer animosity influenced boycott behaviour during but not after the dispute, whereas consumer ethnocentrism influenced boycott behaviour during as well as the dispute. Finally, consumer ethnocentrism was antecedent to consumer animosity, siding with the relationship between semantic and episodic memory. Research limitations/implications Limited to two countries, both with collectivistic culture. A longitudinal approach over multiple phases would further enhance the robustness of the findings. Practical implications Understanding the psychological underpinning of consumer ethnocentrism and animosity would allow firms to develop effective marketing strategies to appeal to consumers’ ethnocentric and animosity dispositions. Originality/value The first study to examine the psychological underpinnings of consumer ethnocentrism and animosity by drawing on the memory theory.

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“…Tujuannya adalah untuk memberi kode kepada konsumen terkait sepotong informasi yang mungkin mengingatkan konsumen akan suatu produk dengan mudah. Memori berpotensi berkaitan dengan niat perilaku (Lee et al, 2017).…”

The Influence of Consumer Ethnocentrism on Consumer Purchase Intention of Domestic Food Products

“…Ethnocentrism can be formed as a result of disconnected realities such as history lessons, personal encounters, mass media, the love for own country (Lee, Lee, & Li, 2017) or as result to different political and economic events that could form consumers attitudes toward domestic and imported products (Park & Yoon, 2017). That for, the level of ethnocentrism will affect the way consumers think about domestic products and their believes and attitudes toward them (Souiden et al, 2018;Vabø & Hansen, 2016).…”

“…That for, the level of ethnocentrism will affect the way consumers think about domestic products and their believes and attitudes toward them (Souiden et al, 2018;Vabø & Hansen, 2016). However, customers who are more open to other cultures and have the attitudes of ethnocentrism, patriotism, and conservatism, are more likely to have negative perceptions about imported products (Sharma & Wu, 2015) even when they recognize the superiority of imported products (Lee et al, 2017).…”

“…Thus, Consumers with high levels of ethnocentrism will perceive imported products as a threat to local economies, governments, organizations, and individual and seek to preclude the growing of foreign firms to neutralize this threat (Siamagka & Balabanis, 2015). Therefore, ethnocentric consumers believe that its inappropriate to buy and consume foreign imported products, because doing so could damage their country's economy (Che Aniza Che et al, 2018;das & Saha, 2017;Memery, Lindgreen, Megicks, & Angell, 2015;Park & Yoon, 2017;Siamagka & Balabanis, 2015;Souiden et al, 2018) , intensifies unemployment (das & Saha, 2017;Guo et al, 2018;Lee et al, 2017;Memery et al, 2015;Park & Yoon, 2017), and considered as immoral, irresponsible (Guo et al, 2018), and betraying their local economy (Che Aniza Che et al, 2018;Guo et al, 2018;Lee et al, 2017) thereafter, they will buy domestic products regardless of their quality and prices (Siamagka & Balabanis, 2015) especially if they recognize and observer the influence of their buying behavior on local suppliers, retailers and the wider community (Memery et al, 2015). This consequently translates into positive buying intentions and use and they will buy foreign products only when they cannot find a domestic alternative to buy (das & Saha, 2017).…”

“…Hence, there is a strong relation between ethnocentrism and national identity. Ethnocentric people's tended to view the world as "us versus them", this view stems from their reflexively stable personality which make them more inflexible in their buying behavior toward foreign product offerings (Lee et al, 2017). Ethnocentrism can be seen as a pervasive personality trait that is part of one's ideological system or what is called the "authoritarian personality" according to Freudian psychoanalytic theory that shaped as a result to different childhood experiences (Siamagka & Balabanis, 2015).…”