Consumatore, marca ed effetto 'made in': evidenze dall'Italia e dagli Stati Uniti

The article presents the results of an exploratory research carried out in Italy and USA. The paper investigates the interaction effects between brand and country of origin, considering a different competitive positioning (high quality versus low cost) of brands/countries in the product category. In the first part the main findings of the literature concerning country of origin effect are reviewed and analysed. The second part proposes the design and the results of the empirical study. A significant interaction effect between brand and country of origin was found, both for the whole sample and the Italian/American consumers. The direction and the magnitude of this interaction effect seem to be influenced by brand and country positioning. The exploratory research highlights the strong impact that the perceptual fit between brand and country of origin can have on customer-based brand equity.