Attitudes of Developing Counties Towards “Country-of-Origin” Products in an Era of Multiple Brands

Abstract

Outside Nigeria, very little is known about the attitudes of Nigerian consumers towards Nigeria-made-products. This study investigated the influence of country-of-origin on attitudes towards products made in three technologically more advanced (TMA) countries and three technologically less advanced (TLA) countries. Three generic product forms, namely products-in-general* cars/spare parts and electronics were compared on six product-related attributes for the six countries. The results showed that products from the TMA countries were viewed more positively by nationals of developing countries, than those from the TLA countries. The respondents rated all products from developed countries more favorably than homemade products, suggesting reverse ethnocen-trism. In addition to the influence of the image of the country-of-origin and actual experience with the product, attitudes towards foreign production may have benefited from the sheer idea of foreignness being superior to domestic products or services. Such attitudes could be attributed to the denigrating colonial experience of the respondents' home country. Future studies may want to isolate and specifically test the influence of “FOREIGNNESS” in the consumer adoption process among nationals of developing countries.