The Psychology of Country-of-Origin Effects

Abstract

The impact of product origin on consumer product evaluations is well-documented, and several types of influence have been described in the literature. In this paper, the author will first describe some of the practical and scientific support for this effect, and then focus on the psychology behind the country-of-ori­gin effect. Drawing from recent studies, this paper will review cognitive, affective and normative country­-of-origin effects, and discuss the mechanisms behind the. Special attention will be paid to the general pref­erence for domestic products over foreign alternatives, and to the interaction between country of origin and other marketing variables, such as advertising.