Thai Consumers’ Perception And Evaluation Of Negative Information Regarding “Chinese Brands”:The Moderating Effect Of Brand National Identity

With the globalization of the world economy,economic ties between countries and regions have become more intertwined.In international trade,customers frequently consider the origin of their goods,which directly impacts their brand recognition,categorization,perception of associated information,and brand evaluation.As a result,concerns regarding national identity have gained significant prominence.In today’s business environment,the rapid spread of negative news is a significant concern,especially with the internet’s reach enabling unfavorable news to spread globally in no time.In such a landscape,how negative information between businesses affects their interaction and fosters constructive engagement is crucial for inter-business relationships.Consumer-brand interactions are notably influenced in this scenario,where negative information regarding product quality,service satisfaction,and corporate ethics can lead to consumer distrust,negative evaluations,and reduced brand loyalty.Existing theory and empirical evidence suggest that both local and foreign brands receive positive evaluations from consumers during adverse events.Studies have highlighted that national identity plays a role in consumer brand evaluations across various negative information scenarios.However,comprehensive and systematic research on its mechanisms is still lacking.Therefore,the aim of this project is to examine the cognitive and commenting behaviors of Thai consumers towards products from Chinese enterprises,focusing on the perspective of Thai consumers.This study is grounded in psychological contract theory and integrates brand theory,social identity theory,and consumer value theory to establish a theoretical analytical framework.By leveraging existing comprehensive scales,the project seeks to identify the types and levels of psychological contract violations perceived by local Thai customers towards products from China compared to local Thai products.Furthermore,this project aims to investigate how customers perceive and respond to various negative information within the corporate culture context.Building upon this,through theoretical deduction and empirical validation,the concept of "brand psychological contract violation" will be introduced,exploring the moderating effect of "brand national identity" on the relationship between "negative information-consumers".Additionally,the project aims to delve into the mechanism of consumer influence on consumer behavior across cognitive,emotional,and behavioral levels,revealing the cognitive model of consumer behavior.It is anticipated that this research will contribute to the efficacy of marketing activities for Thai-Chinese enterprises and yield significant implications.This project focuses on local Thai consumers as the research subjects,utilizing scientific research paradigms and standardized methods to yield the following findings:Firstly,under identical conditions,Thai consumers tend to form psychological contracts more closely associated with local Thai products,whereas Chinese brands are more inclined to foster "transactional" psychological contracts.Moreover,when confronted with negative information regarding "competence"(CA),Chinese brands receive lower evaluations compared to local Thai brands.Conversely,when companies face negative news concerning "social responsibility"(CSR),local Thai brands fare worse than Chinese brands.Local Thai brands cannot naturally serve as barriers to counteract negative messages for the company’s brand.In instances of negative information about "competence"(CA),Thai consumers hold a much more favorable impression of Thai national products than Chinese products,with Thai national brands better equipped to mitigate the impact of negative information on brand equity.However,in cases of negative news about corporate social responsibility(CSR),the adverse impact on Thai national brands surpasses that on Chinese products,rendering local Thai national brands ineffective as barriers against these negative messages.Secondly,when companies operate within an unfavorable information environment,breaches of the company’s psychological contract partially affect the brand identity of Thai companies.Simultaneously,the company’s negative information environment also impacts the brand identity(Chinese/local Thai brands)and brand value.Thirdly,national identity exerts a certain moderating effect on consumer value orientation.When negative information about a manufacturer is disclosed to consumers,a higher level of manufacturer brand awareness significantly enhances the brand value of the company.However,in the context of negative information about corporate competence on brand evaluation,national identity loses significance.In cases of negative corporate social responsibility situations,the influence of brand national identity on brand identity is significantly disrupted,yet no significant difference is observed in the relationship between negative corporate social responsibility information and brand evaluation.Different types of consumer values play a mediating role in a negative information environment.In comparison with the "consumer world unity" theory,consumer national identity exerts a greater disruptive effect on corporate competence.Conversely,compared with consumer nationalism,the "consumer world unity" theory exhibits a greater disruptive effect on negative social responsibility and corporate evaluation.The findings of this study will to some extent enhance and advance theories related to ethnic brand identity and offer fresh insights into elucidating consumers’ cognitive mechanisms towards brands in a negative information environment.In practical applications,this project will assist enterprises in effectively managing the brandcustomer relationship,addressing issues such as negative brand news,and elevating brand awareness levels.Additionally,considering the specific context in Thailand,it holds valuable implications for brand promotion efforts of both Chinese and Thai enterprises.Building upon this foundation,the study will be significant importance for Chinese enterprises in formulating cross-cultural market integration strategies in the international market,thereby enhancing their understanding of the international market and its value.