Abstract
Contributing to the literature on brand stereotyping, we draw on the Stereotype Content Model to investigate whether the content of the brand stereotype (in terms of warmth and competence) impacts consumers' perceptions of functional, emotional and social value. In doing so, we explicitly account for the brand's level of perceived globalness (PBG) and localness (PBL) as known influences on both stereotype content and value perceptions. Across two studies, we find that brand warmth consistently and positively impacts functional and emotional value, whereas brand competence enhances functional value. The impact of the stereotyping dimensions on value is subsequently reflected in increased purchase intentions and higher brand ownership. Surprisingly, none of the latter outcomes is affected by social value. Our findings corroborate previous research showing that PBG and PBL are important drivers of brand stereotype content, but also reveal that brand warmth has a stronger impact on behavioral outcomes than brand competence.
Highlights
Brand stereotypes represent consumers’ oversimplified and generalized beliefs about brands as intentional agents (Greenwald & Banaji, 1995; Kervyn, Fiske, & Malone, 2012), that is, brands are perceived by consumers as capable of expressing intentions as well as able to enact these intentions
We find that brand warmth consistently and positively impacts functional and emotional value, whereas brand competence enhances functional value
Warmth and competence are the two dimensions of the Stereotype Content Model (SCM; Fiske et al, 2002), the most widely used model in stereotyping research that has been applied to different topics of interest and social groups, for example people, animals, companies, and brands (Cuddy et al, 2008; Sevillano & Fiske, 2016; Aaker, Vohs, & Mogilner, 2010; Kervyn et al, 2012)
Summary
Brand stereotypes represent consumers’ oversimplified and generalized beliefs about brands as intentional agents (Greenwald & Banaji, 1995; Kervyn, Fiske, & Malone, 2012), that is, brands are perceived by consumers as capable of expressing intentions (i.e. warmth) as well as able to enact these intentions (i.e. competence). We contribute to international marketing literature by revealing the extent to which the observed effects – relating to both the antecedents and the outcomes of brand stereotypes – are stable or contingent on the market setting involved (i.e. developed vs developing) This has important implications for practitioners regarding how to best leverage the stereotype content dimensions in order to boost consumers’ perceptions of brand value and, encourage purchase intentions and brand ownership. We further consider behavioral outcomes of perceived value and explicitly compare the relative impact of brand stereotype warmth and competence on both, value dimensions and outcomes (i.e. purchase intentions and brand ownership). We offer a deeper understanding of the stereotype transfer mechanism by explicitly assessing the relative importance of brand competence and warmth across three perceived value dimensions (i.e. Rao, 2000), we conceptualize brand stereotype competence and warmth as consumer judgements which enable informational transfer relevant for consumers’ assessment of perceived value. We reconcile and formally test two competing views on PBG and PBL as drivers of brand warmth and competence
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