Abstract:

Much has been written in Asia over the past year on SARS and the effect it has had, amongst other things, on consumer behaviour. Crises and disasters occur on a regular basis all over the globe - but was SARS special or just one of a series of challenges to be faced in the modern world? And as fears of the deadly avian flu sweeping Asia mount - at time of writing the new strain of this influenza has spread to 10 countries, killing eight people and resulting in the deaths of millions of birds through infection or culling - have we learnt anything from the SARS experience? The authors review the SARS issue against a number of other similarly serious crises over recent years to look for commonalities as well as differences in consumer response with a view to providing a more balanced idea on how marketers might respond in turn. As well as Asia the authors look at the Pacific, Europe and the United States to provide a global in addition to a regional context.