The Asian stereotype - do we buy it?

Asia has often been regarded as a whole despite the diversity of cultures it encompasses. For instance, while Western advertisers attempt to cater to the rapidly growing Asian market by casting Asian models to represent their brands in Asian countries, it has been noted that these Asian models chosen are mostly of a similar ‘stereotypical’ look. Across different Asian countries, the variations in physical appearance are disregarded. By examining fashion advertisements featuring Asian models, this study aims to find out the effects of physical similarity on purchase intention and memory, mediated by perceived homophily and attraction based on similarity attraction theory. The physical appearances of the models were manipulated into two conditions (stereotypical Asian vs. typical Chinese Singaporean) where Chinese Singapore participants (n = 102) were randomly assigned, with gender balanced across conditions. Results of the experiment revealed that physical similarity between the models and Chinese Singaporean participants had significant effects on participants’ levels of perceived homophily and attraction to the models. The results of a mediation analysis also confirmed that perceived homophily and attraction to the models significantly mediated the effect of physical similarity on the intention to purchase the products. However, there was no significant effect of physical similarity on memory retention. Practical implications for tailoring advertising campaigns, as well as theoretical implications with respect to the dynamism and diversity within Asia are discussed.Bachelor of Communication Studie