I Hate Where It Comes From But I Still Buy It: Countervailing Influences of Animosity and Nostalgia

Drawing from negativity bias, fading affect bias, and ambivalence literature, we provide evidence that consumer nostalgia acts as a countervailing force to consumer animosity in historically connected markets (HCMs), that is, trading countries that previously were part of the same country but are now independent. For both Soviet-era and (new) Russian brands, our findings show that nostalgia can compensate for the negative effects of animosity on product judgment and product ownership in HCMs characterized by intense negative past events (Lithuania). In contrast, in HCMs experiencing current/recent negative events (Ukraine) animosity is a stronger predictor of product judgment and ownership than nostalgia. Importantly, in both HCM settings, consumer ethnocentrism only plays a minor role when both nostalgia and animosity are simultaneously considered as predictors in the model. Theoretical and managerial implications of the findings are considered and future research directions are identified.