Resumen de Perceived 'Hispanicness' versus 'Americanness': A study of brand ethnicity with Hispanic consumers

Cong Li, Sunny Tsai, Gonzalo Soruco

• This article discusses how consumers differentiate competing brands of similar utilitarian values on the basis of a brand�s cultural association, namely brand ethnicity, and examines how the perceived brand ethnicity influences consumers� brand preference and choice. Study findings, based on both qualitative and quantitative research with self-identified Hispanic consumers, indicate that Hispanic consumers associate certain brands with Hispanic culture and other brands with American culture. In a hypothetical purchasing scenario, the perceived brand ethnicity affects consumers� brand preference significantly in accordance with their cultural orientation. However, in a real consumer behaviour setting, external factors such as brand accessibility attenuate the effects of brand ethnicity.