The Consumer Affinity Construct: Conceptualization, Qualitative Investigation, and Research Agenda
Published 9/1/2008
Author: Eva M. Oberecker, Petra Riefler, and Adamantios Diamantopoulos
View this content
Executive Summary
Although the impact of negative attitudes toward foreign countries in general (e.g., as a consequence of ethnocentric tendencies) and specific countries in particular (e.g., as a result of animosity feelings) on consumption behavior has received considerable attention in the literature, the nature of and potential for behavioral consequences of favorable attitudes have been largely neglected. In this article, Oberecker, Riefler, and Diamantopoulos explore the construct of consumer affinity as a favorable and country-specific attitude by drawing from both the interdisciplinary literature on country-related attitudes and a series of complementary qualitative studies. Specifically, the authors (1) identify the defining conceptual characteristics of the consumer affinity construct, (2) explore the underlying bases/sources of affinity, (3) provide insights into the behavioral consequences of consumer affinity in terms of consumer decision making, and (4) propose a nomological network and generate a series of research propositions to conceptually guide further research on the construct.
Drawing on social identity theory and attitude theory, the authors find the theoretical roots of consumer affinity in the distinction between in- and out-groups and the potential inclusion of out-groups to people’s in-groups. In reference to countries, this suggests that on the basis of feelings of liking and sympathy for a particular foreign country, people may consider the focal foreign country part of their in-group. Empirically, the authors further establish that consumers have affinities for certain countries. Examining the underlying bases of affinities, they identify seven stable categories of affinity drivers that capture direct and/or indirect experiences with a country. Notably, the authors show that direct experiences with a country are the major drivers of affinity feelings. In terms of consumption-related consequences of consumer affinity, initial insights gained from the qualitative studies point to a heightened willingness of particular consumer segments to buy products from the affinity country. The authors find that this heightened willingness is largely derived from a desire to consume products both as a means to remain connected to the affinity country and as a means for lowering perceived risk.
Biography
Eva M. Oberecker is a PhD candidate in international marketing at the Institute of Business Administration, University of Vienna and works as a project manager in a market research agency with a focus on online research. She studied international business administration at the University of Vienna and the Swedish School of Economics and Business Administration, Finland. Her research interests include country-of-origin effects and online research methods.
Petra Riefler has a PhD in Management from the University of Vienna and is Project Manager at a marketing research agency. She was previously a research assistant at the Institute of Business Administration, University of Vienna and held a visiting scholarship at the City University, London. Her work has appeared in the Journal of Business Research and International Marketing Review, among others.
Adamantios Diamantopoulos is Professor and Chair of International Marketing at the Institute of Business Administration, University of Vienna. He previously held the Chair of Marketing and Business Research at Loughborough University, and prior to that he was Professor of International Marketing at the University of Wales Swansea. His research interests include international marketing and marketing research, and he has published in the Journal of Marketing Research, Journal of International Business Studies, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, International Journal of Research in Marketing, International Journal of Forecasting, and Journal of International Marketing, among others. He sits on the Editorial Review Boards of a dozen marketing journals and serves as Department Editor (Marketing) of BuR – Business Research, Associate Editor of the International Journal of Forecasting, and a referee for several academic journals, professional associations, and funding bodies.
Journal of International Marketing, Volume 16, Number 3, September 2008
View Table of Contents.