Regional Brands as an Attribute of Product Quality

Abstract

Labelling of product origin arose spontaneously tradition and consumers automatically associated high quality or specific characteristics with such designations. Systems for labelling regional products have developed over time as third party activity, which assesses relevant criteria and guarantee their fulfilment by awarding a certificate. The aim of this paper is to define competitive environment in the designation of regional products in the Czech Republic and to demonstrate the link between regional product and quality. Part of the paper is identification of parameters determining the quality of products (in general) and the assessment of quality perception as one of the basic attributes of regional products. The article used secondary data from publicly available sources in the form of official web presentation of guarantors and coordinators of individual designation systems, methodological guidelines for granting and using brands, catalogues of certified products, etc. and presents partial results of research conducted via questionnaire survey, whose respondents are residents / visitors of various micro-regions in the Czech Republic. The research shows that the perception of quality of products by a customer are not overly influenced by quality label, local origin (Czech product), or by labels in general. Doubts are also raised by the number of different certification systems. Regional brands provide space for differentiation from competitors, but only if they reach a unique position.

Influence of technology on regional brands in Czechia

“…Regional brands are becoming well known in the Czech Republic (Chalupová and Prokop, 2016). Yet, consumers are becoming confused by all the various brands and what these brands should guarantee (Vokáčová et al, 2017;Chalupová and Prokop, 2016;Stoklasa and Pitrunová, 2018;Stoklasa, 2015). That is why the focus of this article is not on just one out of hundreds of brands but rather on their group with many similar factors.…”

Education for Sustainable Development: Sustainability-Related Food Labels

“…The regional products contribute to the development of agriculture and local businesses, create new jobs, strengthen the development of tourism, increase the volume of local taxes and contribute to building regional identity and culture [6]. With regard to local residents, a brand can strengthen solidarity with the region, encourage public participation in regional development and mediate contacts between producers and other local participants [7]. The Lithuanian national quality product NQP) scheme follows a similar pattern: products should be nutritious, natural and produced in an environmentally friendly manner using as many local raw materials as possible.…”

Study of Consumer Preferences of Regional Labeling. Slovak Case Study

“…The regional products contribute to the development of agriculture and local businesses, create new jobs, strengthen the development of tourism, increase the volume of local taxes and contribute to building regional identity and culture. With regard to local residents, a brand can strengthen solidarity with the region and encourage public participation in regional developments and mediate contacts between producers and other local participants (Vokáčová et al, 2017).…”

“…All of them have unified graphic design as well as common granting principles (Chalupová, Prokop, Rojík, 2016). Systems of a regional character operate in individual regions and in most cases are controlled by regional governments (Vokáčová et al, 2017). In additon to the labels included in the ARB, other regional labels operate in the Czech Republic as well.…”