Power distance belief and brand personality evaluations

Abstract This article explores the influence of power distance belief (PDB) on the evaluations of brand personality traits. It proposes that high PDB polarizes the brand personality evaluations of ingroup and outgroup brands. Specifically, results show that individuals with high PDB tend to evaluate an ingroup brand more positively and an outgroup brand more negatively than those with low PDB do. More importantly, brand social categorization tendency mediates the effect of PDB on brand personality evaluations of ingroup and outgroup brands. Furthermore, we find that temporal distance (near vs. distant buying conditions) moderates the effect of PDB on brand personality evaluations. Theoretical contributions and managerial implications are also discussed.