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Purpose - A first objective is to add insight into how constructs of ethnocentrism, xenocentrism and cosmopolitanism relate to each other. Knowledge of how these constructs overlap or work together in affecting consumer preferences will offer global marketers insights for designing appropriate marketing strategies. The second objective is to extend this knowledge by examining the correspondence of these three constructs to a nomological network of dispositional concepts pertinent for product positioning and market segmentation. The third objective is to empirically examine the extent to which the measures, construct structure and associative relationships are robust in different national research settings. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach - Surveying British and American consumers, this study examines and analyzes the correspondence of these identity-relevant constructs within a nomological net of pertinent concepts: consciousness-of-kind, global consumption orientation, materialism and natural environment concern. Findings - The hypothesized negative links between CET-XEN and CET-COS, and the predicted positive connection between XEN-COS were all confirmed on the latent factor results for the combined data set. The negative correlation between CET-XEN was of a considerably lower magnitude than that for CET-COS. Originality/value - To date, no research has used an identity theory framework and simultaneously examined in a cross-cultural context the interrelationships of consumer ethnocentrism consumer xenocentrism and cosmopolitanism - and their differentiating linkages to a multiplicity of consumer dispositions.

Identity is recognized as a powerful antecedent of behavior. Social identity denotes the incorporation of culture into a person’s self-concept. A strong correspondence exists between identity with a given social unit and commitment to group values/norms, and thus, how much influence the social unit exerts on the person’s attitudes and behaviors. As a psychological construct, social identity research requires probing how individuals subjectively interpret their own affiliation with one or several collectivities. Cultures are increasingly emancipated from geography in the global era. Because contemporary consumers are continuously exposed to a variety of cultural influences, they may develop polycentric identities. As companies and markets integrate, a key international market segmentation topic relates to consumers’ mindsets about home and extraneous countries/cultures, and subsequently, the products connected with these entities. To date, no research has simultaneously examined the interrelationships of consumer ethnocentrism (bias towards products from one’s national culture), consumer xenocentrism (i.e., preference or orientation towards products from a culture other than one’s own), and cosmopolitanism (i.e., a yearning for and adeptness at mastering cultural diversity) in a single study. Employing an online survey, and drawing from a representative sample (n = 269) of American consumers drawn from all 50 states (plus D.C.), this research also examines the correspondence of these identity-relevant constructs within a nomological net of pertinent concepts (all of which are established in the marketing literature): materialism, consciousness-of-kind, external orientation (cultural open-mindedness and consumption of foreign media), global consumption orientation, and natural environment concern. The survey contained a total of 60 scales corresponding to the 8 constructs, along with a series of key demographic measures. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were applied to the construct measures. Various analytical techniques were employed (tests for convergent/discriminant validity, bivariate correlations, t-tests, MANOVA, two-step clustering, as well as path analyses using structural equation modelling) to test the 19 proposed theoretical hypotheses. Most hypotheses were supported, in terms of statistical significance and magnitude, as well as directional valence. Associative network memory theory and signaling theory implicate how consumers decide from a constellation of local, foreign, and global product options. Upon activation of a brand node by way of retrieval cues (product categories, brand names, and so forth), linkages such product attributes and semantic associations (e.g., ingroups/outgroups and corresponding levels of felt identification) become salient. Firms can manipulate signals, including associations towards or away from countries/cultures, to position products and persuade consumers. Vertical segmentation, the conventional approach to adapting marketing strategies, entails developing marketing mixes for each country, from the near limitless combination of demographic, economic and psychographic variables. Due to the globalization of media and the widespread movement of products and peoples across borders a growing number of researchers instead advocate horizontal segmentation, whereby similar groups of consumers are targeted with an essentially uniform marketing strategy, irrespective of where they might live. Individuals’ inward and outward dispositions—towards their own and different countries, cultures, and products—are sound candidate constructs for designing horizontal strategies.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the extent to which personal values, moral foundations and gender-role identities affect, in sequence, consumers' constructions of their ethnocentric and cosmopolitan orientations. Achieving a better understanding of the psychological makeup of consumer ethnocentrism and cosmopolitanism should help managers better design international market segmentation and brand positioning strategies. Design/methodology/approach: The study's conceptual framework is anchored in attitude and values theories, and focuses on the social categorizations that consumers make and how these contribute to the formation of their ethnocentric and cosmopolitan orientations. Drawing data from consumers living in five European countries, we test our theoretical conjectures through structural equation modeling approaches, including multigroup analysis at the country level, as well as the identification and scrutiny of potential pan-European consumer segments. Findings: Findings show that personal values, moral foundations and gender-role identities do exert direct and indirect (partially mediated) effects on the formation of consumers' ethnocentric and cosmopolitan orientations. These provide numerous insights for managers in terms of how they can segment domestic and international markets, as well as how to position products and communicate brand strategies. Research limitations/implications: The study focused on consumers' personal and role identities and offers implications based on data gathered from a sample of five European countries. Future work should broaden this perspective by including other identity facets, such as religious and ethnic identities, as well as product-category and brand-specific outcomes, in order to help develop a more comprehensive picture of the psychology underpinning consumers' identity-related orientations, and their effects on consumer behavior. Future research should also study these issues in a broader geographical context, by including national markets that have culturally diverse populations as well as places with dissimilar cultural and economic profiles. Originality/value: The study shows that individuals' personal values, moral foundations and gender roles have a strong effect on the formation of consumer ethnocentrism and consumer cosmopolitanism orientations. Consideration of how these antecedent constructs operate in concert to shape consumers' in- versus out-group orientations has been overlooked in the international marketing literature. Beyond the ramifications for theory, the study offers numerous substantive managerial implications in terms of how consumers are likely to respond to local and global/foreign products/brands based on these orientations. © 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited.