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Country-of-origin marketing: A list of typical strategies with examples

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Abstract

Many companies communicate their company’s country-of-origin (COO) or the COO of its products to customers because they hope to benefit from the patriotism of domestic customers or from positive stereotypes that foreign customers have about products from that country. Depending on the product category and the target market, a strong COO can translate into a competitive advantage for companies and can help them to win new markets. The COO of products is typically communicated through the phrase ‘Made in …’ or by using origin labels. Nevertheless, companies use a number of other explicit and implicit strategies to make the origin of their products known. This article outlines and describes eight different COO strategies, which are often used in combination with each other. In addition, practical examples are provided for each strategy.

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  1. Department of Management and Engineering, University of Padova, Stradella S. Nicola 3, Vicenza, 36100, Italy

    Thomas Aichner

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Aichner, T. Country-of-origin marketing: A list of typical strategies with examples. J Brand Manag 21, 81–93 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1057/bm.2013.24

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