Business, Organizations, and Society Scholarship Collection

Purpose – The intent of this article is to explore if there is a difference between American Jewish consumers and American non-Jewish consumers in the use of word of mouth and brand loyalty in response to the purchase of durable goods (automobiles). Additionally, this article aims to explore if there is a difference in the use of word of mouth and brand loyalty among American Jews with differing levels of acculturation. Design/methodology/approach – This article utilizes survey data obtained from over 400 respondents with analysis performed using regression and chi-squared analysis. Findings – This study shows no significant difference in brand loyalty and word of mouth between all American Jews and American non-Jews, however, a significant difference between highly acculturated American Jews and low-acculturated American Jews was found. Practical implications – The article helps firms plan their marketing strategy in terms of how they will utilize word of mouth where American Jewish consumers comprise a significant part of the target market. Additionally, this research helps firms understand the context of brand loyalty in terms of looking at ethnic groups. Originality/value – Little research on Jewish consumer acculturation has been published in the last 25 years. The spending power of the American Jewish consumer is significantly larger than that of the rest of the American population, which makes the study of this group particularly valuable.