Being a member of global community: the effect of Chinese brand origin salience on global identity perceptions and brand evaluations
| Date | 24 July 2024 |
| Pages | 842-854 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JPBM-11-2023-4830 |
| Published date | 24 July 2024 |
| Author | Zhuomin Shi,Xiangyun Zhang,Chunji Jin,Qianying Huang |
Being a member of global community: the
effect of Chinese brand origin salience on
global identity perceptions and brand
evaluations
Zhuomin Shi and Xiangyun Zhang
School of Business, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
Chunji Jin
Faculty of Economics, Seijo University, Tokyo, Japan, and
Qianying Huang
School of Business, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
Abstract
Purpose –Given that Chinese brands and products are widespread in the global market, this paper aims to examine the effect of Chinese brand origin
salience (vs not) on brand evaluations by increasing global identity perceptions, and figuring out the moder ating role of uncertainty avoidance.
Design/methodology/approach –Three experiments were conducted in different product categories to test the effect of Chinese brand origin
salience. Study 1 and Study 2 collected data from different countries (i.e. Japan and the USA) with varying levels of uncertaintyavoidance. In Study
3, the data were collected from the single-country sample, including participants from cultural backgrounds with high (Asian Americans) and low
(Caucasian Americans) uncertainty avoidance.
Findings –Chinese brand origin salience positively influences brand evaluations via increased global identity perceptions. In addition, uncertainty
avoidance plays a moderating role in the process. Specifically, the favorable effect of Chinese brand origin salience on brand evaluations will be
attenuated among consumers with high (vs low) uncertainty avoidance.
Originality/value –This paper demonstrates that Chinese brand origin salience can enhance brand evaluations beyond prior work focusing on the
negative stereotypes of Chinese brands and their imitation of Western brands. Importantly, Chinese brands have become an important part of the
global community as Chinese brand origin salience can evoke consumers’global identity.
Keywords Brand origin, Chinese brand, Global identity perceptions, Uncertainty avoidance, Cross-cultural research
Paper type Research paper
1. Introduction
The increasing presence and recognition of “Made-in-China”
products and Chinese brands in international markets have
underscored China’s significantrole in the global marketplace.
These brands have leveraged China’s advancedmanufacturing
capabilities to produce high-quality goods at lower costs,
appealing to a broad consumer base (Gabriele, 2020;Wang,
2020). Furthermore, including 19 Chinese brands in the
Kantar BrandZ Most Valuable Global Brands list (Kantar,
2023) highlights the critical contribution of Chinese brands to
creating global value. Arguably, Chinese brands are now
essential partsof the global community.
The decision regarding the salience of a brand’sorigininits
global communication is crucial for international brand
management, playing an important role in strategically positioning a
brand in the global market (Chung et al.,2019;Donthu et al.,2022;
Oduro et al.,2024;Samiee et al., 2024). Consumers prefer superior
value propositions associated with the brand origin (Rahman et al.,
2024). In recent years, Chinese brands have shown improvement
by emphasizing their Chinese heritage instead of imitating brands
from developed countries to gain global market acceptance (Polfuß,
2021;Yu et al., 2022). A notable example of this trend is HUAWEI,
a leading brand in intelligent technology. Despite the risk of political
backlash, HUAWEI has steadfastly promoted its Chinese identity
on the global stage, successfully cultivating a strong global brand
image (Kantar, 2023). This underscores the growing confidence of
Chinese brands in leveraging their national identity as a strength
rather than a weakness in the global marke t.
While Chinese companies and their brand origin salience have
become prominent in the worldwide marketplace, there is a lack
The current issue and full text archiveof this journal is available on Emerald
Insight at: https://www.emerald.com/insight/1061-0421.htm
Journal of Product & Brand Management
33/7 (2024) 842–854
© Emerald Publishing Limited [ISSN 1061-0421]
[DOI 10.1108/JPBM-11-2023-4830]
This paper was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of
China (NSFC) funded project No.72072186.
Received 21 November 2023
Revised 3 April 2024
15 June 2024
Accepted 16 June 2024
842
Get this document and AI-powered insights with a free trial of vLex and Vincent AI
Get Started for FreeStart Your 3-day Free Trial of vLex and Vincent AI, Your Precision-Engineered Legal Assistant
-
Access comprehensive legal content with no limitations across vLex's unparalleled global legal database
-
Build stronger arguments with verified citations and CERT citator that tracks case history and precedential strength
-
Transform your legal research from hours to minutes with Vincent AI's intelligent search and analysis capabilities
-
Elevate your practice by focusing your expertise where it matters most while Vincent handles the heavy lifting
Start Your 3-day Free Trial of vLex and Vincent AI, Your Precision-Engineered Legal Assistant
-
Access comprehensive legal content with no limitations across vLex's unparalleled global legal database
-
Build stronger arguments with verified citations and CERT citator that tracks case history and precedential strength
-
Transform your legal research from hours to minutes with Vincent AI's intelligent search and analysis capabilities
-
Elevate your practice by focusing your expertise where it matters most while Vincent handles the heavy lifting
Start Your 3-day Free Trial of vLex and Vincent AI, Your Precision-Engineered Legal Assistant
-
Access comprehensive legal content with no limitations across vLex's unparalleled global legal database
-
Build stronger arguments with verified citations and CERT citator that tracks case history and precedential strength
-
Transform your legal research from hours to minutes with Vincent AI's intelligent search and analysis capabilities
-
Elevate your practice by focusing your expertise where it matters most while Vincent handles the heavy lifting
Start Your 3-day Free Trial of vLex and Vincent AI, Your Precision-Engineered Legal Assistant
-
Access comprehensive legal content with no limitations across vLex's unparalleled global legal database
-
Build stronger arguments with verified citations and CERT citator that tracks case history and precedential strength
-
Transform your legal research from hours to minutes with Vincent AI's intelligent search and analysis capabilities
-
Elevate your practice by focusing your expertise where it matters most while Vincent handles the heavy lifting
Start Your 3-day Free Trial of vLex and Vincent AI, Your Precision-Engineered Legal Assistant
-
Access comprehensive legal content with no limitations across vLex's unparalleled global legal database
-
Build stronger arguments with verified citations and CERT citator that tracks case history and precedential strength
-
Transform your legal research from hours to minutes with Vincent AI's intelligent search and analysis capabilities
-
Elevate your practice by focusing your expertise where it matters most while Vincent handles the heavy lifting