IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/jbrese/v186y2025ics0148296324005307.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The gift of cultural capital: How culturally mixed gifts strengthen giver-recipient bonds

Author

Listed:
  • Shi, Zhuomin
  • Huang, Qianying
  • Zhang, Xiangyun

Abstract

Gifts can serve as tangible expressions of social connections. Culturally mixed gifts (i.e., objects simultaneously displaying cultural symbols from various countries) are growing in popularity within the gift market. However, their symbolic significance in building relationships remained unexplored. This research, rooted in cultural capital theory, investigates how culturally mixed gifts impact giver-recipient relationships. Across eight studies (N = 2,072), we demonstrate that culturally mixed gifts strengthen relationships more than nonculturally mixed gifts. This effect is driven by recipients’ perceptions that culturally mixed gifts symbolize desirable cultural capital and further enhance their perceived status. We also examine perceived cultural appropriation and gifting occasions to demonstrate moderators of the proposed effect, such that the favorable impact of culturally mixed gifts on relationship strength weakens when the gift is perceived as cultural appropriation, while it grows stronger on formal (vs. informal) occasions. The effect extends beyond interpersonal connections to brand-customer relationships.

Suggested Citation

  • Shi, Zhuomin & Huang, Qianying & Zhang, Xiangyun, 2025. "The gift of cultural capital: How culturally mixed gifts strengthen giver-recipient bonds," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 186(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jbrese:v:186:y:2025:i:c:s0148296324005307
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2024.115026
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0148296324005307
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.jbusres.2024.115026?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Michelle F. Weinberger & Melanie Wallendorf, 2012. "Intracommunity Gifting at the Intersection of Contemporary Moral and Market Economies," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 39(1), pages 74-92.
    2. Wu, Ruomeng & Steffel, Mary & Shavitt, Sharon, 2021. "Buying gifts for multiple recipients: How culture affects whose desires are prioritized," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 132(C), pages 10-20.
    3. Silvia Bellezza & Neeru Paharia & Anat Keinan, 2017. "Conspicuous Consumption of Time: When Busyness and Lack of Leisure Time Become a Status Symbol," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 44(1), pages 118-138.
    4. Angela Gracia B Cruz & Yuri Seo & Daiane Scaraboto, 2024. "Between Cultural Appreciation and Cultural Appropriation: Self-Authorizing the Consumption of Cultural Difference," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 50(5), pages 962-984.
    5. Givi, Julian & Galak, Jeff & Olivola, Christopher Y., 2021. "The thought that counts is the one we ignore: How givers overestimate the importance of relative gift value," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 123(C), pages 502-515.
    6. Tuba Üstüner & Douglas B. Holt, 2010. "Toward a Theory of Status Consumption in Less Industrialized Countries," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 37(1), pages 37-56, June.
    7. Choi, Woo Jin & Park, JaeHong & Yoon, Ho-Jung, 2018. "Your gift choice for your boss versus your subordinate would not be the same: The interplay of power and giver-receiver role on consumers' gift preferences," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 91(C), pages 1-7.
    8. Joy, Annamma, 2001. "Gift Giving in Hong Kong and the Continuum of Social Ties," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 28(2), pages 239-256, September.
    9. Holt, Douglas B, 1998. "Does Cultural Capital Structure American Consumption?," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 25(1), pages 1-25, June.
    10. Carlos J. Torelli & Rohini Ahluwalia, 2012. "Extending Culturally Symbolic Brands: A Blessing or a Curse?," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 38(5), pages 933-947.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Yu-dong Zhang & Zhang-yuan Dai & Hui-long Zhang & Jia-qin Xie & Wen-qing Hu, 2024. "Consumer acceptance of different types of cultural borrowing and its internal mechanisms," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-13, December.
    2. Anat Keinan & Ran Kivetz & Oded Netzer, 2016. "The Functional Alibi," Journal of the Association for Consumer Research, University of Chicago Press, vol. 1(4), pages 479-496.
    3. Givi, Julian, 2021. "When a gift exchange isn’t an exchange: Why gift givers underestimate how uncomfortable recipients feel receiving a gift without reciprocating," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 129(C), pages 393-405.
    4. Zeynep Arsel & Darren DahlEditor & Eileen FischerEditor & Gita JoharEditor & Vicki MorwitzEditor, 2017. "Asking Questions with Reflexive Focus: A Tutorial on Designing and Conducting Interviews," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 44(4), pages 939-948.
    5. Ahmed, Jubayer, 2015. "You Are What You Consume," MPRA Paper 64806, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    6. Pino, Giovanni & Amatulli, Cesare & Peluso, Alessandro M. & Nataraajan, Rajan & Guido, Gianluigi, 2019. "Brand prominence and social status in luxury consumption: A comparison of emerging and mature markets," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 163-172.
    7. Huachao Gao & Karen Page Winterich & Yinlong Zhang, 2016. "All That Glitters Is Not Gold: How Others’ Status Influences the Effect of Power Distance Belief on Status Consumption," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 43(2), pages 265-281.
    8. Giana M. Eckhardt & Fleura Bardhi, 2016. "The Relationship between Access Practices and Economic Systems," Journal of the Association for Consumer Research, University of Chicago Press, vol. 1(2), pages 210-225.
    9. Branco-Illodo, Ines & Heath, Teresa, 2020. "The ‘perfect gift’ and the ‘best gift ever’: An integrative framework for truly special gifts," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 418-424.
    10. Arnould, Eric & Helkkula, Anu, 2024. "Imagining post-marketing: Neo-animist resource circulation and value cocreation," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 176(C).
    11. Carmela Milano, 2015. "Democratization or else vulgarization of cultural capital? The role of social networks in theater’s audience behavior," Working Papers CEB 15-004, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.
    12. Bian, Qin & Forsythe, Sandra, 2012. "Purchase intention for luxury brands: A cross cultural comparison," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 65(10), pages 1443-1451.
    13. Xiaowei Jiang & Brandon Mastromartino & Qian Yang & Jianwei Zhang & James J. Zhang, 2022. "Influence of Consumer Interaction and Community Relationships on Value Co-Creation Willingness: A Mediation Model of Chinese Sports Brands," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(1), pages 1-19, December.
    14. Long Niu & Chuntian Lu & Lijuan Fan, 2023. "Social Class and Private-Sphere Green Behavior in China: The Mediating Effects of Perceived Status and Environmental Concern," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(5), pages 1-15, February.
    15. Diogo Hildebrand & Yoshiko Demotta & Sankar Sen & Ana Valenzuela, 2017. "Consumer Responses to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Contribution Type," Post-Print hal-01576949, HAL.
    16. repec:hal:journl:hal-04791557 is not listed on IDEAS
    17. Tunca, Burak & Anselmsson, Johan, 2019. "‘You are where you shop’: Examining stereotypes about town center shoppers," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 242-252.
    18. Singh, Jaywant & Crisafulli, Benedetta & Quamina, La Toya & Xue, Melanie Tao, 2020. "‘To trust or not to trust’: The impact of social media influencers on the reputation of corporate brands in crisis," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 119(C), pages 464-480.
    19. Roux, Elyette & Tafani, Eric & Vigneron, Franck, 2017. "Values associated with luxury brand consumption and the role of gender," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 102-113.
    20. Dimitriu, Radu & Warlop, Luk, 2022. "Is similarity a constraint for service-to-service brand extensions?," International Journal of Research in Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 39(4), pages 1019-1041.
    21. Pizzetti, Marta & Chereau, Philippe & Soscia, Isabella & Teng, Fangyuan, 2023. "Attitudes and intentions toward masstige strategies: A cross-cultural study of French and Chinese consumers," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 167(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:jbrese:v:186:y:2025:i:c:s0148296324005307. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/jbusres .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.