Global brands encounter either resistance or acceptance from local markets.To enhance local consumer acceptance of foreign brands,we propose a theoretical framework called “cultural politeness.” We first justify the construct of cultural politeness and develop a scale of cultural politeness (Studies 1 and 2).Exploring this newly developed concept,we find that including a local cultural symbol in a foreign brand’s marketing communication induces negative evaluation of the brand.However,when this practice is interpreted in a polite manner,local consumers perceive cultural politeness,which in turn enhances brand evaluation (Study 3).The influence of cultural politeness on increased evaluations of foreign brands is found in both Indian and American cultures (Study 4).However,the positive influence of cultural politeness on the evaluation of marketing communication decreases when local consumers perceive the global brand to be a “local” brand (Study 5).