Influencers and Consumer Ethnocentrism as Determinants of Acceptance of Global Brands

Abstract

Consumers' decision to accept global brands is determined by numerous variables, and the above is attracting the attention of a large number of researchers in the field of marketing and management. A certain group of consumers has a developed cultural openness and global consumer culture, which implies the purchase of brands that are recognizable on the world market for their level of quality and technical reliability. Also, the appearance of internet marketing, as well as influencers, i.e. celebrities from the fields of sports, music, and film who advertise certain brands via social networks (Instagram, Facebook) affects the awareness and perception of consumers that global brands provide a certain status and prestige in society and that by purchasing them, you can identify with the members of your reference group. On the other hand, a certain number of consumers have developed a high degree of consumer ethnocentrism, which implies the purchase of products and services of domestic origin. The main goal of the research is to determine the effect of influencers and consumer ethnocentrism on consumers' decision to buy global brands. Empirical research was conducted in the Republic of Serbia at the beginning 2023. years using a survey method on a sample of 242 respondents. Respondents' responses were analyzed using the statistical program SPSS (reliability analysis, KMO and Bartlett's test, correlation analysis, multiple regression analysis) and the results showed that influencers have a positive effect, and consumer ethnocentrism has a negative effect, on the decision of consumers to buy global brands, so the research provides important information that can be useful to marketers when designing a strategy for entering the market Republic of Serbia.