Selling the nation: nationalist marketing, foreignness and consumer loyalty

Purpose This commentary aims to examine nationalist marketing as a neglected form of corporate political activity in international business. It argues that firms may turn nationalist and populist politics into consumer-facing marketing claims. Design/methodology/approach The authors develop a conceptual argument by linking recent critical international business debates on politicisation, corporate power and foreignness with international marketing research on country-of-origin effects, consumer nationalism and animosity. The paper draws on Habermas’s work on communicative action and the public sphere, as well as discourse and power perspectives on marketing communication. Findings The paper argues that nationalist marketing can move beyond country-of-origin marketing towards country-of-enmity marketing, where foreign origin becomes a marker of suspicion, hostility or disloyalty. It shows how nationalist marketing may operate through threat framing, patriotic differentiation and misleading origin claims. Research limitations/implications The paper identifies a need for further research on how firms use national symbols, origin claims and consumer identities to shape political meanings and perceptions of foreignness. Social implications Nationalist marketing may weaken democratic debate by shifting political claims into consumer markets and framing purchase as a test of national loyalty. Originality/value The paper contributes to critical international business and marketing scholarship by theorising nationalist marketing as a form of discursive corporate political activity.