Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to represent the first empirical attempt to explore global-local consumer
identities as drivers of global digital brand usage. Specifically, this study considers a unique category of digital
products, social networking sites (SNS), and develops a set of hypotheses to assess the mechanism through
which location-based identities influence the actual usage of global SNS (Facebook and Instagram).
Moreover, cross-country variations are investigated under the lens of developed vs developing countries.
Design/methodology/Approach: Cross-country surveys in a developed (Austria) and a developing
country (Thailand) were conducted. Data collected from 425 young adults were analyzed using SEM
techniques in order to test a set of hypotheses.
Findings: Results show that in Thailand, users with a global identity enjoy participating in global SNS
more than their counterparts in Austria. In addition, consumers with a local identity in Thailand demonstrate
less pleasure when participating in global SNS than their counterparts in Austria, and consequently are less
inclined to use global SNS.
Practical implications: Findings provide digital marketers with useful insights into important strategic
decisions regarding the selection and potential adaptation of global digital brands according to the country context.
Originality/value: This research is the first to extend the location-based identity research in the context of
global digital brands, explain how global-local identities predict SNS usage through an engagement
mechanism and investigate cross-country variations of this mechanism.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:VIENNA/oai:epub.wu-wien.ac.at:6771 |
| Date | January 2018 |
| Creators | Makri, Aikaterini, Papadas, Karolos-Konstantinos, Schlegelmilch, Bodo B. |
| Publisher | Emerald Publishing Limited |
| Source Sets | Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Article, PeerReviewed |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | Creative Commons: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) |
| Relation | http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/IMR-03-2018-0104, https://www.emeraldinsight.com/, http://epub.wu.ac.at/6771/ |
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