The Moderating Roles of Chinese Consumers' Social System Confidence on the Effects of Achievement Values Reflected in a Brand and Its Advertising on Brand Attitudes

As the market is playing an increasingly important role in the Chinese economy, we ask which value the Chinese people will support, what effect the endorsed value (i.e., achievement) will have on consumers’ social system confidence, and how brand symbolism can function in adapting to the social system as well as human values. Based on previous research on human values, system justification theory, and symbolic roles of brands, the current research aims to make those problems clear. It is assumed that achievement value and system confidence have an interaction effect on brand attitude. Thus, consumers with higher system confidence are supposed to positively evaluate a brand if the brand as well as its advertising reflect the achievement value. Two experiments were conducted to verify these hypotheses. Study 1 points out the positive relationship between the achievement value and the system confidence. Study 2 further proves the moderation role of the system confidence in the process of the value reflected both in brand and in brand advertising affecting brand attitude. Finally, implications for theory and management, limitations and future directions are discussed.