'Switching On' National Identity : Korean Consumers' Responses to Ads Using Patriotic Appeals

While the use of patriotic messages in advertising has been widespread in Korea, the effect of such messages on consumer responses has been largely unexplored. Therefore, this study attempted to explore how Korean consumers respond to ads using patriotic appeals. Specifically, this study examined: (1) whether consumers' responses to ads using patriotic appeals were more favorable than those to ads without patriotic appeals; (2) how consumers' levels of national identification affected their responses to ads using patriotic appeals; and (3) how salience of national identity influenced consumers' responses to ads using patriotic appeals. Findings from this study showed that consumers' evaluations of ads using patriotic appeals were not significantly different from those of ads without patriotic appeals when there was no specific cue associated with their national identity. However, consumers' responses to ads using patriotic appeals were positively affected by their levels of national identification. That is, as their national identification levels increased, their evaluations of ads using patriotic appeals significantly increased. Further, results of this study showed that consumers' evaluations of ads with patriotic appeals were significantly increased when their national identity was activated and made momentarily salient through national identity prime