How do cultural identity and nostalgia influence consumer engagement? A research on intangible cultural heritage products

Dincer O., BURAN İ., Ozer M., Sabah Ş., ÖZER A.

JOURNAL OF GLOBAL SCHOLARS OF MARKETING SCIENCE, 2026 (ESCI, Scopus)

Özet

Intangible cultural heritage products (ICHP) are crucial for preserving cultural heritage, as endorsed by UNESCO. This study explores two types of ICHP: cultural products and person-based cultural products. It introduces a model where nostalgia influences cultural identification, which subsequently affects behavioural engagement and consumption intention towards ICHP. Additionally, the study examines how psychological ownership - both collective and individual - moderates these relationships. Three hundred eighty surveys (n = 380) on cultural products and person-based cultural products were collected from Turkey and analysed via structural equation modelling (SEM). The results showed that nostalgia positively influences cultural identification. Also, the study confirmed that identification impacts behavioural engagement with ICHP, which results in consumption intention. These effects were consistent across both product types, although psychological ownership moderated the relationship differently for each type. This study makes three key contributions. First, it incorporates individual and socio-psychological aspects into intangible cultural consumption. Second, it examines how identification influences behavioural engagement with cultural and person-based products, addressing a gap in ICHP engagement research. Third, it explores psychological ownership as a frontier condition, investigating whether strong psychological ownership enhances the identification-engagement link.