Consumer sentiment towards marketing in Bangladesh: the relationship between attitudes to marketing, satisfaction and regulation

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to investigate the overall attitudes of consumers in Bangladesh toward marketing. The paper also empirically tests for associations between consumer attitudes toward marketing, satisfaction with marketing mix and perception of government regulation in least developing countries (LDCs) using the structural equations modelling. Design/methodology/approach - A multi-stage cluster sample of 600 consumers was surveyed to measure consumer sentiment toward marketing in Bangladesh and to test the theoretical model. Data were analyzed using analysis of variances and structural equations modelling. Findings - The study found Bangladeshi consumers are aggregately more unfavourable towards marketing practices in comparison to transitional countries and less unfavourable in comparison to developed ones. The marketing sentiment scale showed evidence of divergent, convergent and predictive validity. The results from the structural equation paths provided evidence that associations do exist between attitudes toward marketing, satisfaction and government regulation variables. The study also revealed that there were no significant differences in attitude towards government regulation with respect to various demographics variables. Research limitations/implications - This is the first such research carried out in an LDC, similar studies need to be carried out in other LDCs to validate the findings further. Practical implications - It gives an insight into the mind of the Bangladeshi consumers. It can be useful for marketers in designing effective marketing programs and positioning of existing and future products in LDCs. Originality/value - This is the first measurement of consumer sentiment towards marketing in a LDC. In addition, the study empirically provides evidence for researchers and practitioners that significant associations do exist between consumer attitudes toward marketing, satisfaction and government regulation variables.