Made in China or Swiss Made?

BRISBANE, Australia, February 1 - Advertising that a toy is made in China can be as successful as saying a
watch is "Swiss Made", if the marketing is done right, a Queensland
University of Technology researcher says.

Professor Brett Martin found that promoting a product's country of
manufacture could help it to sell, even if it was made in a country
associated with lower quality.

"It is standard advertising practice to market a product's country of
origin if the country is perceived as a high quality producer and not mention
the country if it is not," Professor Martin said.

"However, my research has found consumers can easily be persuaded to
think positively about a 'low quality' country."

Professor Martin said the trick was to get consumers to imagine positive
thoughts when reading product information.

"This is because getting people to use their imagination weakens the
stereotypes people use about goods from different countries," he said.

His study tested 516 young adults after they viewed product information
for digital cameras made in Germany, which is seen as a manufacturer of high
quality products, and Poland, which is regarded as a maker of lower quality
products.

Measuring their purchase intentions and emotions, the study found that
sparking the consumers' imaginations about Poland created a lasting positive
response towards the Polish-made camera which equalled the positive response
felt towards the German-made camera.

"These findings form an interesting consideration for marketers," he
said.

"Having a strong country of manufacture can be effective for advertising,
but if you get people to imagine how good a supposedly weaker country is, the
advantage for the high quality country drops substantially.

"This is because many people form a quick impression when they find out
where a product is from, like a t-shirt from Hawaii.

"Getting them to imagine the islands' great beaches and surf culture
interrupts that thinking and lets a product sell on its merits, rather than
being dismissed without consideration."

Professor Martin said his research which is forthcoming in the Journal of
Consumer Behaviour meant companies which manufactured their products in
countries associated with lower quality should rethink their marketing
strategies and not just compete on price.

He said that a strong country of manufacture was not necessarily the
great advantage that many advertisers think and cautioned against resting on
the laurels of a country's good reputation.

    Researcher contact: Brett Martin
                        Brett.martin@qut.edu.au

Brett Martin, Brett.martin at qut.edu.au