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Country-of-origin fit: When does a discrepancy between brand origin and country of manufacture reduce consumers’ product evaluations?

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Abstract

Country of origin (COO), which may refer to where a brand is based (brand origin) or where a product is manufactured (country of manufacture), is an important cue consumers consider when evaluating products. For products offered by bi-national or multi-national brands, brand origin and country of manufacture are often different, and we assert that this difference can act as a source of ambiguity that reduces consumers’ product evaluations. We refer to this consistency or lack of consistency between brand origin and country of manufacture as COO fit. In two studies, we demonstrate that a lack of fit between brand origin and country of manufacture can reduce consumers’ new product evaluations, even when the brand origin and country of manufacture are equally capable. In the first study, we establish this effect and show that it is moderated based on consumer traits. In the second, we identify brand positioning strategies that can shield brands from the ill effects of a lack of COO fit.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Huifang Mao for her helpful comments and suggestions; Robert B. Willumstad School of Business at Adelphi University, the Marketing Department at the University of Central Florida, and the College of Business at Idaho State University for providing resources to make the collection of data possible; and the reviewers and editors for their constructive and helpful comments.

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  1. Department of Marketing and Decision Sciences, Robert B. Willumstad School of Business, Adelphi University, 1 South Ave, Garden City, 11530-0701, NY, USA

    Zachary S Johnson

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  1. Zachary S Johnson
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  2. Yichao Tian
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  3. Sangwon Lee
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2completed his B.S. in Marketing from Adelphi University. At both Adelphi University and at Idaho State University, he acted as a marketing research assistant. In addition to his interest in country-of-origin research and branding, he is interested in online marketing and analytics.

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Johnson, Z., Tian, Y. & Lee, S. Country-of-origin fit: When does a discrepancy between brand origin and country of manufacture reduce consumers’ product evaluations?. J Brand Manag 23, 403–418 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1057/bm.2016.13

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/bm.2016.13

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