An Assessment of Country of Origin Effects Under Alternative Presentation Formats

Empirical research concerning the effects of country of origin (COO) on consumers' evaluative reactions to products has produced mixed and sometimes inconsistent results. Potential explanations for this situation include differences in the countries considered, populations sampled, and products investigated, among other things. The results of 3 experiments designed to investigate the impact of 3 presentation formats (single cue, explicit multiple cues, and implicit multiple cues) on COO effects for 4 evaluative reactions (perceived quality, product evaluations other than quality, affect, and purchase intentions) are presented. COO effects were strongest for the single-cue format and weakest for the implicit multiple-cues condition. Perception of product quality was most strongly affected by COO, followed by product evaluations other than quality; COO had its smallest effect on purchase intention. Implications of these results and future research directions are discussed.