A survey involving four industries (high-tech, building
materials, food and household chemicals) found that consumers nowadays are
becoming aware of the origin of the product and the rate of release.
Photo Credit: Viva Woman
Specifically, the Product Mindset study found that:
57%
of consumers say they are always or usually aware of a product’s country of
origin
67%
of consumers say product quality today is better than it was five years ago
97%
of manufacturers consider themselves as ahead of the “curve” in safety and
reliability
75%
think that manufacturers do not use the best quality materials and do not
follow environmental-friendly procedures
Why
Memorize the Country Origin?
Among the countries with the largest export markets are:
USA, China, Germany, Japan, France, UK,
Netherlands, Italy, South Korea and Hong Kong.
A more realistic picture of the findings of the study: a
consumer checking on models of car:
“This is from Germany. This one is from
USA. How about a car from South Korea?”
The main question is:
how come consumers take note of the country of origin of the brands?
Theory A: Excessive advertising with country
affiliation.
Because of advertising, consumers come to know about a brand and
its country origin. Say for example L’Oreal Paris (originally from France) or
Maybelline New York. Moreover, the brand suggests its ethnicity, like Suzuki
that sounds Asian and is indeed a Japan pride.
Theory B: Protection.
For some reasons, brands are tied
with country stereotypes. Consumers are aware of current events that lead to
labeling. Say for instance a series of news stories about the production of
fake cell phone models. Since the alleged manufacturers come from only one
country, the country is now in its negative publicity being known as the
country that produces fake phones. This led a brand coming from that country change
its “Made in COUNTRY” tag to a “Made by BRAND” label. For their protection from
fake products, consumers become aware of the country origin of a product. Thus,
they buy products from a country that they trust.
Implication
on Online Moderation: Selling Point(S)
Moderators just receive a tip from this study: moderate
the mention of country origin in forums, videos, audio clips and articles.
Moderators will approve texts that go this way: “Apple from
the US, a known country for genuine products”. And disapprove the mention of the
country origin if the country has bad reputation, bearing in mind that the
country might give the product very low sales.
However, the mentioning of a country origin should not
be singled out as the only reason when the product is selling poorly in the
market.
Another selling point that the study is implying is the
use of environment-friendly materials. The study claims that consumers believe
manufacturers do not use things that are good for Mother Earth.
Twenty-twelve will be another year for businesses to
prove their claim that they are ahead in the curve. Still, online moderation
services are still encouraged to help maintain a good online presence and
desirable reputation.
