Consumer Attitude Toward Global Brands: The Perspective of Chinese Consumers

With an increasing level of market globalization,, more and more multinational corporations (MNCs) are operating on a global level, while adopting a global approach to marketing their products and brands. Since the path-breaking economic reform in the late 1970s in China, global marketers are increasingly targeting the Chinese market, attracted by the huge market potential of reaching one-fifth of the world population and their newfound spending power. As Chinese consumers are becoming more familiar with foreign brands, increasing the knowledge and understanding of Chinese consumers is becoming more important. In this study, an exploratory research is conducted to investigate major determinants that can influence Chinese consumer attitudes towards global brands. The findings show that Chinese consumers who pursue modern lifestyles and face-saving values, tend to take a more positive attitude towards global brands. However, the impact of consumer ethnocentrism and consumer income level appears to be negligible. The findings suggest a global brand positioning strategy can be an effective option for MNCs for successful expansion of their business in China.