Abstract
This article discusses how consumers differentiate competing brands of similar utilitarian values on the basis of a brand's cultural association, namely brand ethnicity, and examines how the perceived brand ethnicity influences consumers' brand preference and choice. Study findings, based on both qualitative and quantitative research with self-identified His panic consumers, indicate that Hispanic consumers associate certain brands with Hispanic culture and other brands with American culture. In a hypothetical purchasing scenario, the perceived brand ethnicity affects consumers' brand preference significantly in accordance with their cultural orientation. However, in a real consumer behaviour setting, external factors such as brand accessibility attenuate the effects of brand ethnicity.
