The Interplay Between the Intangible Cultural Heritage Label and Brand Types on Chinese Consumer Brand Responses

Intangible cultural heritage (ICH) elements are increasingly incorporated into brand marketing strategies to appeal to local consumers. However, little is known about the effect of ICH label on consumer brand responses. Drawing on cue utilization theory and social identity theory, this study examine...

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Main Authors: Xiao Huang, Qiulin Xu, Chen Gan
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SAGE Publishing 2025-05-01
Series:SAGE Open
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440251334510
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author Xiao Huang
Qiulin Xu
Chen Gan
author_facet Xiao Huang
Qiulin Xu
Chen Gan
author_sort Xiao Huang
collection DOAJ
description Intangible cultural heritage (ICH) elements are increasingly incorporated into brand marketing strategies to appeal to local consumers. However, little is known about the effect of ICH label on consumer brand responses. Drawing on cue utilization theory and social identity theory, this study examined the effects of ICH label and brand types (i.e., brand origin and brand positioning) on Chinese consumers’ brand attitudes and purchase intentions for brands incorporating Chinese ICH elements through the mediation role of cultural respect. This study tested the research hypotheses through three online experimental studies. Results revealed that attaching an ICH label (vs. without the label) to a brand’s ICH-inspired product significantly enhanced Chinese consumer brand responses, with this effect being more pronounced for foreign brands than domestic brands. These relationships were mediated by cultural respect. Additionally, this study explored the moderating role of foreign brand positioning and found that the ICH label was more effective for foreign mainstream brands than for luxury brands. This study provides evidence regarding the effectiveness of attaching an ICH label to improve consumers’ responses to brands utilizing ICH elements and to help weaken or eliminate local consumers’ in-group biased responses to foreign brands by considering various brand levels.
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spelling doaj-art-8a389dc0c7c040e7b42747a94d0f076b2025-08-20T02:59:00ZengSAGE PublishingSAGE Open2158-24402025-05-011510.1177/21582440251334510The Interplay Between the Intangible Cultural Heritage Label and Brand Types on Chinese Consumer Brand ResponsesXiao Huang0Qiulin Xu1Chen Gan2 Zhejiang Fashion Institute of Technology, Ningbo, China Zhejiang Fashion Institute of Technology, Ningbo, China Ningbo University of Finance and Economics, ChinaIntangible cultural heritage (ICH) elements are increasingly incorporated into brand marketing strategies to appeal to local consumers. However, little is known about the effect of ICH label on consumer brand responses. Drawing on cue utilization theory and social identity theory, this study examined the effects of ICH label and brand types (i.e., brand origin and brand positioning) on Chinese consumers’ brand attitudes and purchase intentions for brands incorporating Chinese ICH elements through the mediation role of cultural respect. This study tested the research hypotheses through three online experimental studies. Results revealed that attaching an ICH label (vs. without the label) to a brand’s ICH-inspired product significantly enhanced Chinese consumer brand responses, with this effect being more pronounced for foreign brands than domestic brands. These relationships were mediated by cultural respect. Additionally, this study explored the moderating role of foreign brand positioning and found that the ICH label was more effective for foreign mainstream brands than for luxury brands. This study provides evidence regarding the effectiveness of attaching an ICH label to improve consumers’ responses to brands utilizing ICH elements and to help weaken or eliminate local consumers’ in-group biased responses to foreign brands by considering various brand levels.https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440251334510
spellingShingle Xiao Huang
Qiulin Xu
Chen Gan
The Interplay Between the Intangible Cultural Heritage Label and Brand Types on Chinese Consumer Brand Responses
SAGE Open
title The Interplay Between the Intangible Cultural Heritage Label and Brand Types on Chinese Consumer Brand Responses
title_full The Interplay Between the Intangible Cultural Heritage Label and Brand Types on Chinese Consumer Brand Responses
title_fullStr The Interplay Between the Intangible Cultural Heritage Label and Brand Types on Chinese Consumer Brand Responses
title_full_unstemmed The Interplay Between the Intangible Cultural Heritage Label and Brand Types on Chinese Consumer Brand Responses
title_short The Interplay Between the Intangible Cultural Heritage Label and Brand Types on Chinese Consumer Brand Responses
title_sort interplay between the intangible cultural heritage label and brand types on chinese consumer brand responses
url https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440251334510
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