Assessing the role of involvement as a mediator of allocentrist responses to advertising and normative influence

There has been increasing discussion of the guiding role of cultural knowledge in the construction of meaning from a stimulus. The present study, conducted in a collectivist culture, explores the role of consumer product involvement in behavioral intention. The research demonstrates that in addition to ego‐focused advertising appeal, the independent variable of subjective norm functions as a predictor of involvement. Both of these independent considerations can activate higher involvement of allocentrists, increasing their trust, affective attitudes, and subsequent purchase intention toward the advertised product. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.