Consumers make stereotypical associations between products and countries based on their perception of a country’s know-how and reputation. For instance, people associate Switzerland with watches and Vodka with Russia. Such associations when shared globally reflect product ethnicity, a concept which will be explored in this public lecture (paper published in Journal of International Marketing, 2007). Research was undertaken in several countries (Canada, China, France, Germany, Mexico, Tunisia, the UK, and the United States) to measure product ethnicity based on associations consumers make based on either country or product as initial stimulus.
In an increasingly global world, country-of-origin is progressively blurred as products are designed, manufactured and branded in more than one place, and as several countries are simultaneously recognised as legitimate homes to particular products. Consumer product familiarity, product involvement, and country familiarity emerge as key factors in determining the strength of product-country associations.
Consumers often tend to associate goods more closely with their own country (a phenomenon called ethnocentric association tendencies). Consumers from individualist, developed countries tend to associate products more strongly with their own country than do consumers from collectivist, developing countries. Finally Professor Usunier will show that consumers are more willing to buy product offerings which are congruent rather than non-congruent with product ethnicity.
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHY:
Jean-Claude Usunier is a Professor at the University of Lausanne (Faculty of Business & Economics, HEC), and Director of the Institute of research in Management (IRM, University of Lausanne) in Switzerland. He is a well respected expert on international marketing and international negotiations. His publications include a wide range of international journal articles and a series of books in the areas of international negotiations, international marketing and international research methods, published by renowned publishers, such as Sage, Elsevier, Routledge, and Pearson.
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