The effect of country-related brand associations and product attributes on attitude toward unfamiliar foreign brands: A schema congruity perspective

The purpose of this research is to examine which combinations of country-related brand associations and product attributes are critical when a new foreign brand is introduced into the market. Study 1 shows that moderately incongruent combinations of country of brand origin and country of manufacture result in the most positive attitude toward the brand. Study 2 shows that when information on tangible product attributes is available to resolve the incongruity between country of brand origin and country of manufacture, strength of product attributes determines attitude toward the brand. Strength of product attributes, however, becomes irrelevant when consumers have a positive perception of both brand origin and country of manufacture, in which case the attitude toward the brand is heuristically formed.