Place branding-exploring knowledge and positioning choices across national boundaries: The case of an Italian superbrand wine

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of the product-specific region-of-origin (ROO) and product-specific country-of-origin (COO) on the willingness to pay a premium price for a wine label designated as a superbrand by the Italian Government: the Chianti Classico.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper introduces the concept of “ROO-COO distance”, defined as the importance attributed to a product-specific ROO as compared to its COO. In order to better understand whether the construct “ROO-COO distance” influences the willingness to pay a premium price, the paper considers consumers’ cross-national differences and their knowledge, distinguishing among three types of knowledge: consumers’ subjective general product knowledge, consumers’ subjective country product knowledge and consumers’ regional product experience (PE). Four hypotheses were tested focussing on Chianti Classico – a premium wine – as related to its ROO and COO (Tuscany, Italy). The authors employed a sample of 4,254 consumers originating from New World countries (Australia, USA and Canada) and Old World countries (Germany, UK, Sweden and Belgium).

Findings

The findings confirm that a place-of-origin influence on price-related product evaluations is country specific. Furthermore, the moderating role of consumers’ subjective product knowledge and consumers’ region-related PEs differ across countries. The ROO-COO distance was found to positively affect only Old World consumers. It was established that respondents’ subjective country/product knowledge and consumers’ regional knowledge or PEs positively moderate this relationship.

Originality/value

The paper links the COO and ROO effects in a single framework and analyses it at the cross-national level, while also considering the moderating effect of consumer’s knowledge.

Citation

Pucci, T., Casprini, E., Rabino, S. and Zanni, L. (2017), "Place branding-exploring knowledge and positioning choices across national boundaries: The case of an Italian superbrand wine", British Food Journal, Vol. 119 No. 8, pp. 1915-1932. https://doi.org/10.1108/BFJ-11-2016-0582