Purpose: Prior research has clearly shown that ethnocentric consumers favor local brands. However, consumers also strongly favor local and global brands which reinforce their desired self-images. The purpose of this paper is to examine how self-image congruence (SIC) mediates the effect of consumer ethnocentrism (CE) on local brand preference (LBP).Design/methodology/approach: This study empirically tested the proposed mediation model across three countries (Taiwan, South Korea and Japan) using ten brands from two very different product categories (beer and personal computers). Research subjects were randomly selected and placed into one of four groups for each of these countries. Subjects in these groups were asked to compare well-known domestic and global brands which were either culturally similar or culturally dissimilar.Findings: CE significantly impacted LBP among Taiwan, South Korea and Japan college-aged consumers but this impact was limited. SIC, however, had a powerful influence on LBP for these consumers. The cultural similarity and relative necessity of brand choices had almost no effect on the results.Research limitations/implications: Researchers and practitioners need to more fully understand the contingencies Asian consumers use in selecting local brands. Under some scenarios, CE may not be a reliable predictor of local brands preference.Originality/value: This is one of the first studies to demonstrate the influential role of SIC among consumers from collectivistic cultures.

This study introduces and empirically tests a luxury service brand model. A structural equation modeling technique (partial least squares) was employed to test this model using survey data from members and nonmembers of a prestigious country club in Asia. Empirical findings from this study supported the model demonstrating that both members and nonmembers of a prestigious country club use a luxury service brand to gain social recognition. This research is one of the first studies to empirically demonstrate that luxury services, like luxury goods, are consumed by affluent customers to gain social status and social approval.

Extant research has confirmed the importance of consumer innovativeness toward innovation adoption, but relatively little is known about the relationship between fitness use innovativeness, post-adoption behavior and the moderating role of fitness consumer’s efficacy belief. This study aims to examine the moderating role of other-efficacy on the relationships between the fitness player’s usage patterns (usage variety and usage frequency) under the influence of use innovativeness, and revisit intention within the context of fitness services. This study utilizes the diffusion model for conceptual development. The proposed hypotheses are empirically tested using fitness players from a public sports center. There were 205 valid questionnaires obtained for quantitative data analysis. The findings confirm that the fitness player’s use innovativeness has a direct impact on usage variety and usage frequency, while the player’s training partner efficacy positively moderates the usage patterns and revisit intention. Based on the extent of fitness use innovativeness and training partner efficacy, we categorize fitness customers into four segments. The managerial implications for each segment are then discussed.