Differentiation Strategy: Can A Brand Be Positioned on Country of Origin?
The purpose of this marketing research paper is to answer a very important question that consumers are most of the times curious to know about, especially when they buy a luxury good. The question raised is “Can a brand be positioned on country of origin.
Country of origin is the term used to describe where the good originates from, which includes manufacturing, agriculture or production. It is referred by the term “Made in” which represents a connotation with the place of origin.
In the twentieth century, people perceived many aspects differently that nowadays. Companies were responsible for the whole process of designing and manufacturing their products locally. This led consumer to trusts their brands more than any foreign products, thus the country of origin was seen as a single place of association for consumers, which summarized the brand’s origin, the design location and the place of production. Globalization has tremendously changed this perception as consumers have far more choices than they ever had decades ago. In fact, they can be confused on what product they should go for and buy due to numerous diversities that they enjoy.
Globalization has challenged this perception, resulting in a growing differentiation between the Country of Origin of the brand, the place of design and the place of production, potentially creating more confusion for the consumer. Therefore, defining the Country of Origin or the meaning of ‘Made In’ with a view to creating associations and trust at the consumer level has become
