Cultural Information Process: A Yin-Yang Perspective on Marketing Claims in the East versus the West

This paper compares differences between Eastern and Western consumers in terms of processing positive and negative marketing claims by using a convergence approach via consumer psychology, cross-cultural framework, and particularly the yin-yang principle. The principles of yin and yang refer to a philosophical dualism based on the notion of the coexistence of opposites. Easterners with strong beliefs in this philosophical system are more likely to infer the opposite side of any given claim. This tendency may produce unexpected results for marketing claims; namely, negative effects of a positive claim and positive effects of a negative claim. This paper investigates these effects explicitly, and reveals that Easterners react more negatively to positive claims than Westerners, thereby, displaying decreased positive attitudes. On the other hand, Westerners reinforce, or at least do not discount, such positive claims. Conversely, Easterners react more positively to negative claims than Westerners, who display the intended negative reactions to negative claims. The authors discuss the implications of such findings, particularly with regard to the yin-yang framework to international and cross-cultural research, as well as how Easterners process information regarding positive or negative claims. The paper concludes with a discussion regarding the managerial implications for global companies.