How country development and national culture affect the paths of perceived brand globalness to consumer behavior across nations

Abstract

Multinational corporations (MNCs) are perceived as global brands with advantages in influencing consumer behavior. However, whether the advantages of perceived brand globalness (PBG) hold across nations or depend on country-specific context factors remains unknown. To examine this issue, this study applies accessibility-diagnosticity theory and multilevel structural equation modeling to study the paths from PBG to repurchase intention and identify important country-specific moderators. The results rely on hierarchical data from 22,055 consumer evaluations of an MNC in 31 countries and underline indirect-only paths from PBG to repurchase intention through functional and psychological value. However, the paths change with the degree of country development and national culture. Country development weakens, whereas the degree of embeddedness, mastery, and hierarchy strengthen the PBG-value links. The moderations differ in strength. MNCs must choose certain levers to effectively manage PBG. This study makes corresponding suggestions and contributes to research concerning cross-national brand management.