Perception of brand globalness and localness: the role of brand competence in stereotype-building and value consciousness

The positioning of a brand strategy is unprecedentedly moulded by the consumer perceptions, and so, the purpose of this study is to comprehend the influence of brand competence in the stereotype-building that shape perceptions and consumer behaviour, which is asserted to be a research gap in previous literature. A survey research, conducted in the UK upon the product brands of a consumer market, analysed the phenomena of perceived brand globalness (PBG) and perceived brand localness (PBL) through an enquire targeting the final consumer. The results uncovered a residual superiority of global brands, but not deterministic of purchasing intentions. Brand competence and stereotyping demonstrated a reciprocal influence. The myth of incommensurability between global and local branding strategies was demonstrated to be off beam, and likewise, the alleged inverse proportionality of local and global stereotypes. In this context, the future of brand extensions and rebranding require a compatibility of both strategies and the hybridization of globalness and localness on one's portfolio management exercise. Nonetheless, the extension of the general influence of the brand to gain higher control over the consumption patterns ought to abandon the seemingly unattainable logic of micro-targeting and focus on the meta-mapping of the "consumer mosaic" and the underlying contingencies of accessibility and manipulation of large amounts of data.