Does Country of Origin (Coo) Matter for Consumers in Emerging Country? A Study on Influence of Coo at the Time of Product Evaluation of Mobile Phones by Indian Consumers

Abstract

Effect of product’s country of origin (COO) on consumers’ attitudes, preferences and buying behavior, as an upcoming area of study, has gained momentum over the years (Verlegh and Steenkamp, 1999). There is an increasing trend among firms using positive association with the COO to chart the marketing strategy of brands (Papadoupoulos et al., 1993). Peterson and Jolibert (1995) propagated that favorable country perceptions lead to favorable perceptions of associated attributes of a product. As a result, the impact of COO behind product evaluation may have a strong impact on various strategic decisions in the functional domain of marketing and brand management. Although the COO theme has long formed the object of continuing investigation in marketing literature, the major studies have often been carried out with reference to the United States (Bertoli, Busacca, Molteni 2005). Due to rapid globalization and reduction in trade barriers, in recent past, major emerging economics from Asia witnessed entry of cross border brands in their markets. India, as an emerging economy, has also followed the trend. However, there is a serious lack of India-specific research study in the area of effect of COO on product evaluation. For a better understanding of the same, the present study is proposed. In this study an attempt has been made to address the effect of COO from three different dimensions namely country image effect, COO image effect and awareness level about the COO of the brand and its resultant effect on product evaluation. Further, the brand awareness, level of involvement and the COO interaction effect on consumer product evaluation has also been studied to indicate the intensity of COO impact.