Perceived brand internationalism effects on Chinese consumer perceived symbolic value of international brands

The study investigates the relationship between perceived brand internationalism, product involvement and the symbolic value of international brands, which is constituted by prestige value, self-expressive value, and social expressive value. Perceived brand internationalism (high or low) and product involvement (high or low) were manipulated in a 2 by 2 design, in which subjects´ evaluations were obtained in scenario simulation of purchases. In contrast to the general notion that there is perceived brand internationalism only on perceived quality, perceived brand internationalism was found to be positively related to the symbolic value in an international branding context, which was moderated by product involvement. Perceived brand internationalism effects on symbolic value were found to be strengthened with the increase in product involvement. The findings have managerial implications for marketing managers and limitations of the study have also been discussed.