Understanding East Asian consumers’ responses to inclusive beauty products in advertising

Abstract

Increasing global demand for inclusivity has resulted in a critical need to understand how consumers respond to inclusive marketing. Centering on skin color, which is an interminable inclusivity issue, this research examines how consumers in East Asian markets (e.g., China and South Korea) evaluate and respond to inclusive (vs. non-inclusive) beauty products in advertisements across three empirical studies. The different ethnic environments of consumers in Studies 1 A and 1B and consumers’ individual differences in other-group orientation in Study 2 moderate the way inclusive products are evaluated and responded to. Additionally, a serial mediation analysis reveals that the inclusivity of products increases perceptions of brand inclusiveness and altruistic motives, thereby contributing to favorable attitudes and behavioral intentions. This research sheds light on the nuanced process of how consumers evaluate and respond to inclusive beauty products in advertisements based on individual and environmental differences.