Explicit vs. Implicit Country Stereotypes

What is it about?

The paper draws on literature on stereotyping, implicit social cognition, and COO to investigate how explicit and implicit country stereotypes impact consumer preferences for brands with different origins. Specifically, we employ the Stereotype Content Model (SCM) as an overarching theoretical framework and, in a first study, examine how explicit and implicit country stereotypes drive purchase intention by generating more positive affective responses towards a brand. In doing so, we also offer insights into the extent to which explicit and implicit stereotypes converge/diverge and whether they explain unique variance in the outcome variables. In a second study, we extend these findings by investigating whether explicit (implicit) stereotypes are better predictors of deliberate (spontaneous) consumer choices.

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Why is it important?

this is the first study that (a) uses indirect measurement techniques to capture the dimensions of country stereotypes, comparing them to their self-reported counterparts, and linking both to key behavioral outcomes, (b) explores the degree to which the content of explicit country stereotypes is similar to that of implicit stereotypes, thus extending the theoretical reach of the SCM, and (c) establishes the conditions under which explicit vs. implicit stereotypes are more predictive of consumer choice decisions. Based on our findings, several theoretical and managerial implications are derived.