Follow the mind or the heart? Asymmetric influences of affective versus cognitive country images on customer-service provider relationships

The role of country affect, particularly in comparison to cognitive country predispositions, in driving customer services evaluation and behavior is generally overlooked in the international services marketing literature. Taking the lens of the theory of impression formation in social psychology, the current research develops a nomological framework that clarifies whether and when affective country image (ACI) or cognitive country image (CCI) takes precedence for distinct aspects of customer-service provider relationships. Moving beyond the prevailing notion of the prominent influence of CCI, one field survey and two experimental studies reveal that ACI dominates CCI in determining service marketing outcomes in general and in driving relational compared to transactional outcomes in particular. Moreover, this research demonstrates the moderating effects of service type (experience vs. credence) and customer information processing style (intuitive vs. analytical) on the impacts of ACI and CCI. The findings yield concrete managerial guidance on how to apply strategies appealing to customers’ “heart” or “mind” more effectively in specific service contexts.