Celebrity and foreign brand name as moderators of country-of-origin effects

Abstract

Whereas most recent country-of-origin (COO) research has focused on multi-cue designs to overcome weaknesses associated with single-cue models by incorporating both extrinsic and intrinsic cues other than the COO cue in evaluating consumer responses, few studies have been reported that address the issue of whether a foreign celebrity or a foreign brand name can enhance or diminish consumer attitude, product quality perception and purchase intention in another country. This study shows that in a country (Austria) where consumers speak a different language with very different cultural heritage, the use of a foreign (US) celebrity and an English brand name can be a liability. Consumer ethnocentrism is a plausible explanation for this observation.