Brand Origin Identification by Consumers: A Classification Perspective

Abstract

This is the published version of the paper. This version of the publication may differ from the final published version. Permanent repository link: http://openaccess.city.ac.uk/17981/ Link to published version: http://dx. The authors apply a classification perspective to (1) examine the extent to which consumers can identify the correct country of origin (COO) of different brands of consumer durables, (2) investigate the factors facilitating/hindering correct COO identification , and (3) trace the implications of correct/incorrect COO identification on brand evaluation. The results from a U.K. sample indicate that consumers' ability to classify brands correctly according to their origin is limited and also reveal substantial differences in the classification of different brands to their COO. Moreover, the key antecedent of correct COO identification is consumer ethnocentrism, with sociodemographics (e.g., age, gender) also playing a role. Finally, the authors find that though there are differences in brand evaluations depending on whether the correct COO was identified, such differences are not observed for all brands investigated. Over the past 40 years, a large number of studies have found that consumers' product evaluations and buying intentions are related to the origins of the products (Papadopoulos and Heslop 2002, 2003). In general, this research, widely known as country-of-origin (COO) studies, supports the view that a product's origin indeed affects the way it will be perceived by consumers and the extent to which it will be preferred when it comes to making a buying decision (for relevant literature reviews, see Al

Brand origin and country of production congruity: Evidence from the UK and China

“…Indeed, ethnocentric consumers may perceive such brands contributing to their local and regional economy. Thus, Sony's brand was chosen because it is technologically sophisticated in which its COO and COP may be highly diagnostic information for consumer preferences and purchase decision (Balabanis and Diamantopoulos 2008).…”

Products, Brands and Countries: Country-ofBrand (COB) and Product-of-Country (POC) Constructs in Country-of-Origin Research

“…"Consumers either have limited recognition of brand origins or find such information relatively unimportant and thus unworthy of retention in memory." Balabanis and Diamantopoulos (2008) supported Samiee et al's (2005) conclusion after their investigation of consumers' ability to classify correctly different brands within a specific product category according to their COBs. They concluded that the consumers' overall ability to identify COB was limited.…”

“…During the examination of the potential transfer of country image association to brand evaluations and behavioral outcomes, researchers should recognize that not all respondents may associate the brand with the correct COO (the accurate COB). Researchers' presenting respondents with both a list of brands and a list of associated countries compromises the validity of empirical results (Balabanis and Diamantopoulos, 2008). Biasing respondents by mentioning country names is a key shortcoming in COB research (Samiee, 2011).…”

It’s not just a brand name: The impact of language on consumer attitude and behavior

“…Such preference may also be due to past history of colonialism in Malaysia (Mandal, 2000) that induces perception of the superiority of Westerners/Western language hence Western brand names are observed to carry a higher prestige (Marcoux, Filialtrault, & Che'ron, 1997). Malaysians perceived them to be of high quality foreign products (Liefeld, 2004;Balabanis and Diamantopoulos, 2008). If a brand name is perceived as foreign, it then brings all the appropriate connotations (quality, glamour, and price) that set it apart from a local brand (Alden, Steenkamp, & Batra, 1999;Batra et al, 2000).…”