Reinforcing willingness to buy and to pay due to consumer affinity towards a foreign country

International audienceIn a tense economic environment where consumers are encouraged to favor local rather than imported products, multinational companies (MNEs) need leverage to enhance their offer regarding local products. This research suggests a consideration of consumer affinity towards a foreign country as a means to reinforce both willingness to buy (WTB) and willingness to pay (WTP). An experiment was conducted with 170 French consumers (non-students). Respondents were asked about their WTB and their WTP for products for which the country of origin varied in a within-subject design based on 1) the level of the respondent's sense of affinity towards the product’s country of origin and 2) the image of the country of origin for the product category in question. In addition, the sources of affinity feeling to a foreign country were explored. Results indicate that consumer affinity towards a foreign country has a positive effect on consumer WTB and WTP. This effect is complementary to the well- known country of origin effect. Three main factors influence consumer affinity toward a foreign country in a positive manner: a consumer’s 1) personal experience with the country (to have visited it, to have friends there, etc.), 2) positive evaluation of its natural landscapes 3) appreciation of its culture (history, values, etc.) Implications for MNEs are detailed to inspire their marketing strategy

L'effet du pays d'origine sur le consentement à payer: Quand on aime, on ne compte pas ?

International audienceThe country of origin of a product can improve the assessment of the product by consumers and enhance its chances of being purchased, if the country in question benefits from a favourable image for the production of that type of goods. This research shows that, beyond country-image, this effect of country of origin may also rely on the affects that the consumer has with the country. A review of the literature allows us to formulate the proposition according to which the consumer’s willingness to pay for foreign products may be increased when the individual feels a certain affinity for the country of origin. This proposal is confirmed by an exploratory quantitative study the results of which make original avenues of research emerge, while providing managerial implications for international marketing professionals.El país de origen de un producto puede mejorar la evaluación del producto por los consumidores y así aumentar la probabilidad de ser comprado, y eso si el país puesto en cuestión disfruta de una buena imagen en la producción de este tipo de bienes. Esta investigación muestra que, más alla de la imagen del país, este efecto del país de origen puede también apoyarse en las relaciones afectivas del consumidor por el país. Una revista de literatura permite formular la proposición según la cual el consentimiento que pagar por parte de los consumidores para comprar un producto extranjero puede aumentar en cuanto el individuo siente cierta afinidad con el país. Esta proposición queda acreditada por un estudio exploratorio y cuantitativo cuyos resultados permiten que se manifiesten algunas pistas originales de investigación y eso proporcionando implicaciones de gestión para los profesionales de marketing internacionalLe pays d’origine d’un produit peut améliorer l’évaluation du produit par les consommateurs et renforcer ses chances d’être acheté, si toutefois le pays en question jouit d’une image favorable dans la production de ce type de biens. Cette recherche montre que, au-delà de l’image-pays, cet effet du pays d’origine peut également s’appuyer sur les affects que le consommateur entretient avec le pays. Une revue de la littérature permet de formuler la proposition selon laquelle le consentement à payer des consommateurs pour un produit étranger peut être augmenté dès lors que l’individu ressent une certaine affinité avec le pays d’origine. Cette proposition est confirmée par une étude exploratoire quantitative dont les résultats font émerger des pistes originales de recherche, tout en fournissant des implications managériales pour les professionnels du marketing international

« Fabrication française » : quels effets sur l’intention d’achat et le consentement à payer ?

International audienceThis research focuses on the effect of the indication of origin “Made in France” on the buying intention and willingness to pay for a FMCG according to two types of characteristics: those related to the brand (brand equity and brand origin) and those related to the individual (ethnocentrism and national identity). It relies for that on the theoretical framework of co-branding, considering that the indication “Made in France” is similar to a co-brand that interacts with the product brand. An experiment conducted with 293 French consumers shows that the buying intention of the product increases significantly with the presence of the indication “Made in France”, which is not the case of the willingness to pay. This positive effect on buying intention is greater when: (1) the product is signed by a brand whose brand equity is weak rather than strong, (2) the consumer’s ethnocentrism is high, and / or (3) the consumer is strongly attached to his/her French national identity. These results help to identify the conditions under which the strategy of indicating the national origin of the product can succeed.Cette recherche s’intéresse à l’effet de la mention d’origine « Fabrication française » sur l’intention d’achat et le consentement à payer d’un produit de grande consommation en fonction de deux types de caractéristiques : celles liées à la marque (capital-marque et origine de la marque) et celles liées à l’individu (ethnocentrisme et identité nationale). Elle s’appuie pour cela sur le cadre théorique du co-marquage, en considérant que la mention « Fabrication française » s’apparente à une co-marque qui interagit avec la marque du produit. Une expérimentation menée auprès de 293 consommateurs français montre que l’intention d’achat du produit augmente de manière significative avec la présence de la mention « Fabrication française », ce qui n’est pas le cas du consentement à payer. L’effet positif sur l’intention d’achat est plus important lorsque : (1) le produit est signé par une marque dont le capital est faible plutôt que fort, (2) l’ethnocentrisme du consommateur est élevé, et / ou (3) le consommateur est fortement attaché à son identité nationale française. Ces résultats aident à identifier les conditions dans lesquelles la stratégie consistant à mentionner l’origine nationale du produit peut réussir

Products labeled as “made in domestic country”: the brand matters

International audiencePurpose The purpose of this paper is to better understand an increasingly widespread practice consisting, of a brand, in signaling the domestic origin of its products aimed at domestic consumers, that is, the “made in the domestic country” (MIDC) strategy. To this end, it is proposed to analyze the MIDC label as a cue interacting with the brand’s characteristics (brand equity and country of origin of the brand). Design/methodology/approach A between-subjects experiment is conducted among 293 French consumers on four different brands of pasta. The overall design is a 2 (with/without the MIDC label) × 2 (high/low brand equity) × 2 (domestic/foreign brand) mixed design. Findings The results show that intention to buy the product increases significantly with the presence of the MIDC label, but not so willing to pay. The positive effect on buying intention is greater when: the product has rather low brand equity, consumer ethnocentrism is high and/or consumers are strongly attached to their national identity. Research limitations/implications The present research extends the literature on country-of-origin effects by taking into account the role of the brand equity of the product. However, the study focused on only one low-involvement product category (pasta) and one country (France). Practical implications This study shows that adding an MIDC label to the product is empirically justified. Originality/value While moderate or high scores on “patriotic” variables reinforce the positive impact of the MIDC label, low scores reverse the trend, that is, cause rejection