Cross Cultural Differences in Consumer Evaluation of Cobranding in Sport

https://kent-islandora.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/node/9957/8849-thumbnail.jpgBrand evaluation has been studied from a cross-cultural context in recent years (Monga & John, 2007). As a potential reason for individual differences in brand evaluations, Nisbett et al. (2001) indicated that eastern cultures generally promote holistic thinking while Western societies generally promote analytic thinking. Based on the premise of different styles of thinking, the current study examined how varying aspects of brand fit evaluation and attitude toward cobranded products impact an individual’s purchase intention of cobranded products from a cross-cultural perspective. Using individuals who frequently purchase team merchandise (160 Americans and 162 Asians), two separate multiple linear regressions were performed and the overall results indicated that Americans were more likely to be influenced by brand image fit, brand quality fit, and attitude related to purchase intention of cobranded sports merchandise. In contrast, Asians were more influenced by brand quality fit, brand functionality fit, and attitude for their purchase intention. Findings from this type of research would provide practitioners and scholars with marketing insights related to how individuals evaluate cobranding practices and how cultural differences impact results in differing brand extension evaluations among global consumers of athletic team merchandise.