THE REAL MCCOY: PRODUCT ETHNICITY, AUTHENTICITY AND COSMOPOLITANISM IN EVALUATIONS OF SEARCH AND EXPERIENCE GOODS

摘要

Real. True. Genuine. Consumers seek out and select brands that demonstrate high levels of authenticity to derive the symbolic benefits associated with these brands and to use the brand as part of the construction of their individual identity. Successful brands engender perceptions of being real, true, and genuine by rooting themselves in authenticity. In maintaining a delicate balance between authenticity and social significance (Keller 2003), global brands like Apple, IKEA, and Virgin prompt verisimilitude in the product without sacrificing their relevance to consumers. It is these symbolic benefits conferred by a brand's authenticity that helps explain how product ethnicity, or the stereotypical associations between a product category and its country of origin (Usunier and Cestre 2004), and product evaluations, in terms of perceived image and purchase intention. This study proposes that perceptions of authenticity mediate the relationship between cosmopolitanism and product evaluation. Additionally, congruity of a product with the expected product ethnicity influences the effect of authenticity on consumer evaluations, particularly in the case of experience products, relative to search products.