Does country of brand origin (COBO) matter for the Lebanese consumers?

Abstract

PurposeThis study aims to examine country of origin (COO), price and brand effects on Lebanese consumers’ attitudes towards US products and brands while evaluating a low‐involvement product like chocolate.Design/methodology/approachThe research comprised formulation of a detailed questionnaire that was served to 488 administered at various shopping malls across Lebanon. Statistical analyses of data employed included Pearson correlation and analysis of variance (ANOVA) tests.FindingsThe data supported both the hypotheses that respectively predicted that brand price was more important than COO in the evaluation of low‐involvement products. The data did not support the hypothesis that predicted a preference by Lebanese consumers for “Made in Lebanon” products, based on a similar observed preference for domestic products in developed nations.Research limitations/implicationsThe external validity of the findings are limited since an over‐exaggerated weight is provided for the “made in” label while in a real purchase situation; price as well as brand have a weight that is far superior to that of the COO. In today's business world several cues are already embedded in the brand name which limits the internal validity of the study; this includes the “made in” labels as external cues used by respondents while evaluating a particular chocolate brand regardless of the origin cue already dispatched by the brand itself.Originality/valueThe results have evidenced, if needed, the importance of taste when purchasing a particular brand. Hence, a Lebanese consumer would not mind choosing a Ghour chocolate bar instead of a Nestlé or even a Cadbury chocolate bar only if these three brands had equivalent attributes. Brand is the second attribute considered by consumers when choosing a particular chocolate. Thus, a successful approach for international marketers would be to build strong brand equity. The results provide extremely useful outputs to the marketing professionals.

Management perspectives on country of origin

“…Ha-Brookshire (2012) examined the hybrid effect of country of parts and country of manufacturing on consumer behaviour and product evaluation, and found that U.S. consumers consider cotton production or apparel manufacturing in the United States to be more sustainable than that in China. In addition, the evaluative criteria that consumers use to access the product quality are often impacted by the consumer's 'summary construct', or 'halo' effect associated with the country image (Ahmed et al, 2012;Han and Terpstra, 1988;Niss, 1996;Tigli et al, 2010).…”

Chocolate Consumption and Purchasing Behaviour Review: Research Issues and Insights for Future Research

“…It has been observed that the country of production has much more influence than the country of origin. This creates a close correlation between the brand and the country with which consumers associate it [62,64]. A 2007 study supports the idea that the COO has a strong influence in the decision-making process of chocolate consumers [62], especially for Germans, whose perception of chocolate quality increases if the country of origin is indicated [68].…”

“…No sustainability studies have been conducted in Asia or Oceania. Studies in Asia have been conducted in India [5,46,54,60,61], and one in Lebanon [64]. In Asia, the topics addressed were the influence of the country of origin, genetic modification, brand, demographic factors and product affection.…”

“…Taste is the crucial factor when purchasing and consuming chocolate. Although perception of taste is extremely personal [16,57], it remains the key factor influencing chocolate consumer behaviour [3,4,51,57,62,64].…”

An intellectual journey into the historical evolution of marketing research in brand switching behavior – past, present and future

“…Without doubt, companies need to maintain good brands in market if they are to sustain market share and seek expansion; failing to do so results in brand switching to other more attractive brands. This important behavior has been studied widely in the literature to define the underlying factors to identify the right strategies to enhance or rebuild the brand (Ahmed et al, 2002;Ghosh et al, 2004;Zbib et al, 2010, Ahmed et al, 2012. The following sections describe the historical development of brand switching literature and explain how switching has varied significantly across different products and industries.…”