Is ENGLISH A BRAND: THE IMPACT OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNING ON PRODUCT EVALUATION.

In Asia, there is a growing assumption of that English capability is a requirement to enter the global economy. Students studying English in Asia now outnumbers students in America. This paper explores the potential synergy of these two trends by examining an increased favorable attitude toward products from English speaking nations on the part of consumers who have majored in English. A wide area Web-based survey, administered in Taiwan, resulted in 582 respondents in a conjoint-based design. Analysis of variance found that respondents who were language majors exhibited higher levels of consumer ethnocentricity than those who had not majored in language. This finding raises questions about assumptions surrounding the international nature of English. English students in this survey do not go on to be more accepting of imported products. Conjoint analysis found no favorable halo effect for products that were related to English speaking countries of origin. These findings raise a flag of caution when considering English in the global market and emphasize the importance of localization in product marketing, including marketing communication as well as English language instruction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]