Understanding the Role of Political Relations in Consumer Decision Making: A Grounded Theory Approach

Abstract

Previous animosity studies have been conducted in single-target contexts where the effects of hostility towards one product's country of origin were examined. This current study is an attempt to investigate the animosity construct in the multi-target boycott case of the Middle-East conflict where more than one party (countries and companies) are involved in the political conflict, as reports show that consumers have inconsistent reactions to these involved parties. One-on-one in-depth interviews, supported by documentation, were conducted with Arab consumers who are presumably involved in the conflict. It has been found that animosity is multi-level which belongs to the political relations (there after POLR) continuum and performs as a product attribute. POLRs' effects on the consumer are subject to parties' involvement level in the conflict and consumer prioritized needs. Research findings imply that " political positioning " can be applied by brands with " good quality " POLR, while others need to highlight other product attributes.