Brand Origin Recognition Accuracy Research Articles

A longitudinal analysis of country image and brand origin effects

PurposeThe objective of this study is to offer a longitudinal examination of country image, consumers’ brand origin recognition accuracy, and how their effects on brand evaluations have evolved over the last decade.Design/methodology/approachThe authors compare data gathered in 2020 against data gathered in 2008. Each data set consists of more than 500 American consumers evaluating approximately 12 different brands from three separate industries (i.e. auto, television, and fashion).FindingsThe findings indicate that country image can evolve over time and that its effect on brand evaluation persists even when inaccurate brand origin associations are made. The study offers meaningful insights for managers in understanding how brands’ country associations affect corresponding brand attitudes.Originality/valueSignificant research attention has been focused on the effects of country image. However, longitudinal analysis of the same research questions has been rare. This study offers a valuable comparison of how several important country-image related issues have evolved over time.

The COO Construct: Methodological and Related Issues in a Globalized World

This article is the first to empirically assess two known measures of country of origin (COO) constructs to determine their relative effectiveness. Two empirical studies employing real brands from the U.S. and South Korea were conducted. Brand origin recognition accuracy (BORA) and brand familiarity were assessed, in addition to consumer judgments. Multiple regression analysis was used to determine the relative contribution of alternative COO constructs. The results show that brand familiarity has the largest influence on product quality and purchase intentions. When the two alternative measures of COO are compared directly, in the absence of brand familiarity, the traditional measure of COO captures the effects better than the Stereotype Content Model (SCM) measure. If only one measure of COO is used, both are effective. In addition, both BORA and brand familiarity help us to better understand the conditions that influence COO effects.

Brand Origin Recall Accuracy (BORECA): a new measure of brand origin salience

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to conceptualize and test a new concept named “Brand Origin RECall Accuracy” (BORECA) that assesses consumers’ ability to recall accurately the origins of brands they are aware of. It measures consumers’ brand awareness and brand origin (BO) awareness for a given product category.Design/methodology/approachBased on the accessibility–diagnosticity model and the limitations of the brand origin recognition accuracy concept, the authors propose and test the BORECA concept focusing on one product category (apparel) in an emerging country context, i.e. Tunisia (Mena). A sample of 374 respondents were surveyed on country-of-origin (COO)-category awareness, brand awareness, BO awareness and foreign vs local brand quality evaluation. Descriptive statistics, correlation indices, MANOVA and linear regression analysis were used in data analysis.FindingsResults show a substantial BORECA score, i.e. highly accurate awareness of the origins of the recalled brands, affected by respondents’ age, gender and education level. The average BORECA score for local brands is higher than for foreign brands. The local BORECA score seems to positively correlate to respondents’ evaluation of local brand quality and negatively to foreign (dominant COO category) brands.Research limitations/implicationsBased on an aided recall task rather than simple recognition, BORECA provides a deeper assessment of brand awareness and BO awareness. The pressure induced by the task (knowledge test + retrieval effort) may cause anxiety bias that inhibits the recall of other brands and BOs.Practical implicationsNationalistic and ethnocentric tendencies emerging in the findings point to some branding strategies for both local and foreign companies.Originality/valueThe paper provides a good indication of BO salience in an emerging economy. It seeks to explain the impact of the BORECA score for local brands on the perceived quality of both local and foreign brands.

Understanding Cosmopolitanism and Brand Origin Recognition Accuracy: The Moderating Effect of Need for Cognition

ABSTRACTThis paper investigates whether cosmopolitan individuals have a greater knowledge of brand origins compared to non-cosmopolitans. The moderating effect of need for cognition is tested. Additionally, this work tests whether the level of confidence in assigning a country of origin to a brand affects brand attitude. The results show that cosmopolitan individuals have significantly higher brand origin recognition accuracy scores than non-cosmopolitans. Second, an interaction is found between cosmopolitanism and need for cognition to impact the brand origin recognition accuracy. Third, when individuals are more confident about the origin of a brand, brand attitude increases.

Examining brand origin recognition accuracy in Indonesia

Purpose Brand origin (BO) has been suggested as an important determinant of brand evaluation and purchase intention. However, previous studies have indicated that consumers have limited knowledge and ability to recognize national origin of brands. The purpose of this paper is to assess brand origin recognition accuracy (BORA) and its relationships with brand evaluation and purchase intention in the Indonesian laptop market. Design/methodology/approach A convenient sample of 195 people in Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta participated in the survey. They were given a list of 18 laptop brands (four local and 14 foreign brands) and were asked to identify their actual national origins. Findings The study found that consumers are more likely to misidentify than correctly recognize a true BO. This limited ability also has contributed to the low BORA scores for both local and foreign brands. Brand evaluation was found to be positively correlated with purchase intention. However, the current study could only find partial supports for the relationship between BORA scores and brand evaluation as well as purchase intention. Practical implications Many Indonesian consumers are unaware of the laptops’ BO, whether it is foreign or local. Companies need to inform, educate, and/or remind consumers of their brand’s true origin and avoid being associated with a weaker country image. Furthermore, despite all four Indonesian laptop brand names seem to use non-Indonesian names, only one brand gains a slightly better brand evaluation from favorable misclassification. It may suggest that the effectiveness of foreign branding strategy in the Indonesian laptop market is debatable. Originality/value This is one of the few studies examining BORA in Indonesia, the world’s fourth most populous country and the largest laptop market in Southeast Asia.

Assessing Brand Origin Recognition Accuracy and its Antecedents in a Developing Country

The aim of the present study was to examine two main questions regarding Indonesian consumers. First, what are the brand origin recognition accuracy (BORA) scores for both foreign brands and local brands among Indonesian consumers? Second, are socio-economic characteristics (education and income/spending), international experience (international travel and foreign language expertise), and demographic factors (age and gender) related to consumers’ brand origin recognition accuracy? The present research follows BORA procedures in the selection of 88 brands (44 foreign and 44 local brands). Questionnaires were distributed both offline and online, with 138 respondents participating offline and 163 people responding online. The BORA scores for both foreign and local brands among Indonesian consumers were relatively low (28.79% and 53.85%, respectively). BORA was also related to socio-economic characteristics, international experience, and age. In addition, men demonstrated higher BORA levels for foreign brands than women did. Most consumers were unable to differentiate brand origins because of the use of foreign languages for the brand names. Therefore, the foreign branding strategy of using languages of other countries (e.g., English, Chinese, Japanese, and so forth) that have positive images for particular product categories could be effectively employed in Indonesia.

Country-Specific Associations Made by Consumers: A Dual-Coding Theory Perspective

Extant country-of-origin research has focused on the deliberate use of country-specific associations (CSAs) as a cognitive cue, captured by consumer responses to direct questioning. However, such responses only capture rational and verbally held aspects of CSAs and do not reveal emotional and nonverbally held aspects. Drawing from dual-coding theory, the authors (1) develop propositions about the existence of two distinct types of CSAs (rational and emotional) and the differences in consumers’ communication of these associations, (2) apply a three-stage qualitative design in two complementary studies to test these propositions, (3) link the identified CSAs to brand origin recognition and brand ownership, and (4) generate a consumer typology on how CSAs are communicated. Their results indicate that people tend to communicate rational CSAs verbally and emotional CSAs nonverbally. Whereas both rational and emotional associations positively affect consumers’ brand origin recognition accuracy, only emotional associations affect brand ownership. The authors consider theoretical and managerial implications in light of recent criticism on country-of-origin research and offer suggestions for further research.

The shift from manufacturing to brand origin: suggestions for improving COO relevance

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to comment on Magnusson et al.'s paper. Rather than entering into the COO (country of origin) relevance debate, the author observes the shift from manufacturing to brand origin and outline consequences for future COO research by taking into account linguistic aspects of brand names.Design/methodology/approachThis paper documents the issue of brand origin recognition accuracy (BORA, a central theme in Magnusson et al.'s paper) and the progressive replacement of COO and COM (country of manufacture) by COB (country of brand). Linguistic cues lead to both incorrect and correct classification of brands in terms of their national origin, which the author subsumes in four ideal‐typical situations, by taking into account company intention to manipulate origin information or not. The author then outlines factors which cause and moderate incorrect versus correct classification, especially brand size, corporate vs product names, and linguistic devices.FindingsA framework is developed crossing causes of incorrect versus correct classification with company strategic branding intents. Suggestions are provided for future research combining linguistic and non‐linguistic aspects of BORA.Practical implicationsCompanies willing to build on the origin and favorability of their brand names should deploy a deliberate naming strategy that is expressed in the textual part, as well as in the visual part (i.e. brand name fonts, logo, packaging) and the accompanying marketing communications, especially advertising copy.Originality/valueThis paper takes distance from the raging debate on the relevance of COO research, and suggests to deepen the understanding of BORA. This is done by looking at causes and moderating variables of BORA, and taking into account linguistic aspects of strategic branding in the global market.

Brand origin recognition accuracy: its antecedents and consumers’ cognitive limitations

An ever-growing literature has reported consumer bias toward national origins of products, and has explored factors that moderate such bias. Researchers have assumed, if only tacitly, that consumers are knowledgeable of brand origins, and that this knowledge is a significant influence that drives judgments of product quality, brand attitudes, and choice behavior in the marketplace. Using categorization theory and attribute diagnosticity as the theoretical foundation, our research reveals that consumers actually have only modest knowledge of the national origins of brands, and that American consumers’ proficiency at recognizing foreign brand origins is predicted by variables such as socioeconomic status, past international travel, foreign language skills, and gender. In the second of two studies, we determined that brand origin recognition is based largely on consumers’ associations of brand names with languages that suggest country origins. These studies ultimately lead us to conclude that past research has inflated the influence that country of origin information has on consumers’ product judgments and behavior and its importance in managerial and public policy decisions.