Abstract
This essay examines developments in brand origin (BO) and BO-related research since the publication of our study on the topic (i.e., Samiee, Shimp, & Sharma, 2005). Although the BO concept was first introduced a decade earlier, it did not gain much traction from researchers in international marketing (IM). Judging by its 245 Web of Science (WOS) citations, it is evident that our 2005 publication, in which we studied consumers’ knowledge of correct origins of a large number of brands, has motivated IM scholars to pursue much research activity involving BO. The postscript offers an overview of growth in BO-related publications overtime, specific areas examined, and noteworthy contributions to this topic. In addition, it provides leading journals in which BO articles have appeared, as well as the leading authors of BO-related publications based on WOS citation scores. It is clear from the published research on the topic that brand origin and its derivatives will continue to be considered and, as appropriate, included in future origin-related research projects. To this end, this retrospective offers some guidelines for future studies.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
The distinction between CO and BO is that the former discloses the country where the imported item (product or its parts) was manufactured or assembled, which can vary and change over time. MNCs often produce a branded product in several countries and export it to other markets. For example, Sony sources its TV set from five strategically-located manufacturing plants for its global markets. So, a brand may have multiple designated COs, but only one BO. Thus, BO tends to be more stable as a research stimulus than CO and, hence, more meaningful for assessing consumers’ cognitive structures.
- 2.
The home base or country in which a firm is domiciled (i.e., headquarters) for the vast majority brands tends to be stable. Albeit infrequent, brands do change owners which, in some cases, can be a different country. For example, Volvo and Jaguar, formerly owned by Swedish and U.S. firms, are now owned by Geely of China and Tata Motors of India, respectively. In terms of brand image and equity, it has been in the interest of new owners to retain such brands’ original image and continue to associate them with brands’ original home markets of Sweden and the U.K., respectively.
- 3.
It is worth noting that some consumers, mostly in developing markets, make a distinction between identical brands based on their countries of manufacture or COs such that, for example, a Sony TV sourced from Japan can be priced higher than the same exact model sourced from Singapore.
- 4.
This count includes 212 works of conference papers, edited books, and SSRN and other papers posted online.
- 5.
- 6.
Average BORA score for the 40 U.S. brands used in BO2005 was by far the highest (49%) among non-U.S. brands. All U.S. brands of TVs, cars, and fashion scored the highest BORA scores in the category (as compared to non-U.S. brands) and, in fact, were over 97% for car brands (Magnusson et al. 2011).
References
Balabanis, G., & Diamantopoulos, A. 2008. Brand origin identification by consumers: A classification perspective. Journal of International Marketing, 16(1), 39–71.
Balabanis, G., & Diamantopoulos, A. 2011. Gains and losses from the misperception of brand origin: The role of brand strength and country-of-origin image. Journal of International Marketing, 19(2), 95–116.
Chabowski, B.R., Samiee, S., & Hult, G.T.M. 2013. A bibliometric analysis of the global branding literature and a research agenda. Journal of International Business Studies, 44(6), 622–634.
Clarivate Analytics. 2020. Web of science platform: Summary of coverage. https://clarivate.libguides.com/librarianresources/coverage Accessed 29 June 2022.
Hester, S.B., & Yuen, M. 1987. The influence of country of origin on consumer attitude and buying behavior in the United States and Canada. ACR North American Advances.
Hugstad, P.S., & Durr, M. 1986. A study of country of manufacturer impact on consumer perceptions. In Malhotra, N. & Hawes, J., eds., Developments in Marketing Science, Proceedings of the 1986 Academy of Marketing Science annual conference, (Cham): Springer, Vol. 9, 115–119.
Kuhn, T.S. 1996. The structure of scientific revolutions. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Liefeld, J.P. 2004. Consumer knowledge and use of country-of-origin information at the point of purchase. Journal of Consumer Behaviour, 4(2), 85–96.
Magnusson, P., Westjohn, S.A., & Zdravkovic, S. 2011. “What? I thought Samsung was Japanese”: Accurate or not, perceived country of origin matters. International Marketing Review, 28(5), 454–472.
Riefler, P. 2012. Why consumers do (not) like global brands: The role of globalization attitude, GCO and global brand origin. International Journal of Research in Marketing, 29(1), 25–34.
Samiee, S. 1994. Customer evaluation of products in a global market. Journal of International Business Studies, 25(3), 579–604.
Samiee, S., Shimp, T.A., & Sharma, S. 2005. Brand origin recognition accuracy: its antecedents and consumers’ cognitive limitations. Journal of International Business Studies, 36(4), 379–397.
Samiee, S. 2010. Advancing the country image construct—A commentary essay. Journal of Business Research, 63(4), 442–445.
Samiee, S. 2011. Resolving the impasse regarding research on the origins of products and brands. International Marketing Review, 28(5), 473–485.
Samiee, S., & Chabowski, B.R. 2021. Knowledge structure in product-and brand origin–related research. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 49(5), 947–968.
Shukla, P. 2011. Impact of interpersonal influences, brand origin and brand image on luxury purchase intentions: Measuring interfunctional interactions and a cross-national comparison. Journal of World Business, 46(2), 242–252.
Sichtmann, C., & Diamantopoulos, A. 2013. The impact of perceived brand globalness, brand origin image, and brand origin–extension fit on brand extension success. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 41(5), 567–585.
Thakor, M.V. 1996. Brand origin: conceptualization and review. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 13(3), 27–42.
Thakor, M.V., & Lavack, A.M. 2003. Effect of perceived brand origin associations on consumer perceptions of quality. Journal of Product & Brand Management, 12(6), 394–407.
Usunier, J.C. 2011. The shift from manufacturing to brand origin: suggestions for improving COO relevance. International Marketing Review, 28(5), 486–496.
Zhou, L., Yang, Z., & Hui, M.K. 2010. Non-local or local brands? A multi-level investigation into confidence in brand origin identification and its strategic implications. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 38(2), 202–218.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2024 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Samiee, S. (2024). Brand Origin Research: A Retrospective. In: Samiee, S., Katsikeas, C.S., Riefler, P. (eds) Key Developments in International Marketing. JIBS Special Collections. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-17366-0_11
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-17366-0_11
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-031-17365-3
Online ISBN: 978-3-031-17366-0
eBook Packages: Business and ManagementBusiness and Management (R0)