To Conceal or to Reveal? Antecedents of Ethnic Minority Family Businesses’ Use of Ethnic Branding

The family business branding literature identifies numerous benefits to communicating family ownership. However, existing studies have omitted ethnic minority family businesses (EMFB), which present unique identity and cultural considerations. We examine potential antecedents to EMFB use of ethnic branding, which features their ethnicity within marketing communications. The study establishes a significant positive relationship between EMFB owners’ ethnic identification and socioemotional wealth (SEW), and between EMFB owners’ SEW and ethnic branding usage. Product ethnicity moderates the latter relationship such that a match between product ethnicity and EMFB ethnicity increases the likelihood of ethnic branding. Managerial and theoretical implications are further discussed.