HOW CAN BUYER ATTITUDES AFFECT MARKETING STRATEGY?

Attitudes towards products based on country of origin

With the increase of foreign products in the domestic markets, studies indicate that the perception of products based on their country of origin has been increasing in the last one decade. According to Sylvie et al. (2015), most of these researches imply that addition to other factors, consumers consider the country of origin while making their buying decisions. Christina (2014) suggest that the stereotypes that consumers have on products in regard to their country of origin have a significant influence in developing marketing strategies which can assist an organization to attain its goals. Although most of the studies done on this subject focus on developed nations, most of the results have been indicating that attitudes towards products based on their country of origin have also been increasing among consumers in the developing countries.

Consumer perception and marketing challenges

According to Stephen et al. (2014), consumer perception towards products based on their country has been one of the significant challenges which marketers face in the recent years. If for instance, a consumer believes a certain commodity from a particular country is not durable, or probably is not fine for use, this kind of perception will make a marketer to experience some challenges in coming up with strategies to change that sort of attitude.

Hostility towards marketers

In some cases, attitudes towards products based on their country of origin make marketers to face hostility while undertaking their duties. According to Joshua et al. (2015), the kind of perception that people have towards products reflect the kind of believe they have towards the marketing professionals or companies which deal with those products. This means if a consumer has a negative attitude towards a particular product because of its country of origin, there is a possibility he will have the same attitude towards the person who market the product. This means the kind of perceptions which consumers have may determine how easy it is for marketers to execute their strategies in a particular segment.

Influence on marketing strategies

The attitude of consumers towards products based on their country of origin influence marketing strategies because marketers aim to establish a positive attitude towards commodities in markets where consumers show negative impression (Isabelle and Jean-Noël, 2004). Comparing with other factors which affect marketing strategies, perception of products based on their country of origin has a minimal impact on consumer buying decisions. However, it has a significant effect on the overall acceptance of goods depending on how marketers influence the consumers concerning the commodity.

Impact on marketing channels

Consumer perception towards products based on their country of origin determines the channels which the company uses to undertake its marketing activities (Aichner, 2014). For example, in a market where there is a perception that a particular product from a particular country is not of good quality, the company which deals with that product must think of a channel that proves the product is of good quality. In this case, undertaking using TV adverts aimed to show the quality of the product could be useful.

Use of stereotypes in marketing

The kind of stereotypes which consumers have concerning a product from a particular country determines the kind of information which the marketer uses while executing the planned strategies (Bernhard and Stephan, 2014). For example, people highly rate Japanese products across the world. This means if one markets products with Japanese origin in a country like China where they retail three times more than the domestic products, the primary message should help the consumers to realize those products are from Japan.

Brand name versus country of origin

A country like Russia, consumers consider the nation of origin more than the brand name of the commodity. This means when making marketing decisions, one has to come up with a strategy which emphasizes on making the consumers believe the product is the best irrespective of whether they believe the country produces the best products or not (Gummesson, 2012). Stressing on brand name may not make the marketing efforts to be successful because irrespective of informing them about how strong the brand name is, the consumers will always base their judgment on the country of origin.

Challenges for companies with multiple origins

Having attitudes about products based on their country of origin makes companies, especially those that deal with products from more than one country, experience challenges in coming up with effective marketing strategies (Jai, 2011). If for instance, an organization deals with products from countries which are believed to be good in producing best commodities and others that are not associated with good quality, it means the marketing strategies must be different in order to make the consumers develop loyalty with all brands.

Impact on marketing activities

According to Isabelle and Jean-Noël (2004), having attitudes towards products based on their country of origin has an impact on various marketing activities like targeting, packaging, and segmentation. Before making decisions concerning the target market, it is essential to find out the kind of stereotypes which consumers have towards the products which the company deals with. If buyers in one segment have different attitudes which change from time to time, it means the marketers may have challenges in executing marketing strategies because they must always change them to match all consumers in that segment.

Penetration in new markets

The kind of stereotypes that consumers have concerning products based on their country of origin can have a significant influence when a company plans to penetrate in a particular market (Gummesson, 2012). This is because every firm aims to attain success through customer satisfaction and if the consumers in the preferred market have a negative perception towards the products because of their country of origin, it becomes challenging for the company to establish marketing strategies which can assist it to change their attitude.

Effectiveness of marketing strategies

Christina (2014) affirms that marketing strategies play a significant role in determining whether a company will succeed by selling a particular brand or not. If a firm decides to use a social media platform to advertise in a market where consumers believe products from a specific country are good, there is a possibility that they will give a positive view concerning the brand. Providing a positive opinion can make other people who do not know about it, especially when they read much about it through reading comments. This means perception of products based on their country of origin can make marketing strategies become effective or ineffective depending on the kind of attitude.

Conclusion

In conclusion, attitudes towards products depending on their country of origin have a significant impact on marketing strategies because every marketer aims to attract as many consumers as possible to like a particular brand. Marketers must align their chosen strategies with the kind of perception which consumers have in order to change or to improve the attitude they have. Marketing aims to make consumers build loyalty with brands, and therefore marketers must struggle their best to come up with strategies which change consumer perceptions and make them believe the products which the company deals with are the best irrespective of the kind of stereotypes which exist concerning their country of origin.

References

Aichner, T. (2014). "Country-of-origin marketing: A list of typical strategies with examples."Journal of Brand Management 21:1, 81-93.

Bernhard, S., and Stefan, E. (2013) Transferring the Retail Format Successfully into Foreign Countries. Journal of International Marketing: March 2013, Vol. 21, No. 1, pp. 81-109.

Christina, Ö. (2014). Customer relationship challenges following international acquisitions, International Marketing Review, Vol. 31 Issue: 3, pp.259-282.

Gummesson. E. (2012). Total Relationship Marketing. London: Routledge

Isabelle, S and Jean-Noël, K. (2004). Executive Insights: Real Differences between Local and International Brands: Strategic Implications for International Marketers. Journal of International Marketing: Vol. 12, No. 4, pp. 97-112.

Jai, Parmar. (2011). Consumer Behaviour towards the Marketing of PepsiCo Brand 'NIMBOOZ' Political Economy Journal of India, 20 (3-4), 587-604.

Joshua, T. B., Kelly, C., and Robert, W. P. (2015). Understanding Relationship Marketing and Loyalty Program Effectiveness in Global Markets. Journal of International Marketing, Vol. 23, No. 3, pp. 1-21.

Stephen, A. S., Joshua T. B., and Robert W. Palmatier. (2014). The Role of Culture in International Relationship Marketing. Journal of Marketing: Vol. 78, No. 5, pp. 78-98.

Sylvie, C., Arto, O., and Tanja, L. (2015). Effectuation and foreign market entry of entrepreneurial firms, European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 49 Issue: 9/10, pp.1436-1459.