<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>This empirical study investigates American market responses to a Spanish product that is strongly culture-laden and may violate cultural taboos. Surveys were conducted in two contrasting US universities in Arkansas and California. Contrasting student majors were also chosen: Art and Business. The product is a life-sized baby doll, designed to be breast-fed rather than bottle-fed, which highlights the benefits and normality of breast-feeding babies. Although this product is popular in its original European market, US media accounts suggested strongly negative morality-based American reactions. This study found a strong overall non-acceptance of this product in all groups, but with significant differences between groups. Results quantify the market reaction and illuminate its cultural basis by comparing responses between two culturally different regions, two contrasting college majors, different genders, and different ethnicities. In doing so, this study helps to break new ground in the international marketing of culture-laden products.</p></abstract>

This empirical study investigates American market responses to a Spanish product that is strongly culture-laden and may violate cultural taboos. Surveys were conducted in two contrasting US universities in Arkansas and California. Contrasting student majors were also chosen: Art and Business. The product is a life-sized baby doll, designed to be breast-fed rather than bottle-fed, which highlights the benefits and normality of breast-feeding babies. Although this product is popular in its original European market, US media accounts suggested strongly negative morality-based American reactions. This study found a strong overall non-acceptance of this product in all groups, but with significant differences between groups. Results quantify the market reaction and illuminate its cultural basis by comparing responses between two culturally different regions, two contrasting college majors, different genders, and different ethnicities. In doing so, this study helps to break new ground in the international marketing of culture-laden products.

Culture-Laden Imports: International Market Entry and Cultural Taboos

California State University Dominguez Hills, USA

Hamdan Bin Mohammed University Academic City, Dubai, UAE

International Journal of Management and Economics

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

{"article-title":"Culture-Laden Imports: International Market Entry and Cultural Taboos"}

This empirical study investigates American market responses to a Spanish product that is strongly culture-laden and may violate cultural taboos. Surveys were...

Culture-Laden Imports: International Market Entry and Cultural Taboos

Published Online: Jul 15, 2016

Page range: 49 - 62

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/ijme-2016-0011

Keywords
international marketing, market acceptance, consumer ethnocentrism, cultural taboos

© 2016 William David Brice et al., published by De Gruyter Open

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Culture-Laden Imports: International Market Entry and Cultural Taboos

Published Online: Jul 15, 2016

Page range: 49 - 62

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/ijme-2016-0011

Keywordsinternational marketing, market acceptance, consumer ethnocentrism, cultural taboos

© 2016 William David Brice et al., published by De Gruyter Open

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
international marketing, market acceptance, consumer ethnocentrism, cultural taboos