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Multinational corporations (MNCs) are converging world cultures by creating common consumer lifestyles across countries through standardized products. However, little is known about how consumers’ exposure to foreign cultures affects their purchase experience from the country. This study explores this gap in the literature by investigating how consumers’ exposure to foreign cultural source (e.g., entertainment) shapes their attitude toward its country. This attitude is conceptualized to influence the perceived product quality and corporate ability of the country’s MNCs, which are further hypothesized to influence consumers’ purchase experience with products offered by the MNCs. Furthermore, the impact of product quality and corporate ability on consumer purchase experience is expected to be moderated by consumer ethnocentrism. The study framework is tested in the context of the Korean Wave (or “Hallyu”) using data consisting of 533 Indonesian consumers. The results support most of the study hypotheses. Theoretical and managerial implications of these findings are discussed.

This study aims to draw on cue utilization and irradiation theories to: determine the extent to which country-of-origin image and its sub-dimensions exert an aggregate and relative influence on consumer brand evaluations; and identify the contextual and methodological factors that account for between-study variance in the focal relationship.

A random-effects model was used to examine 166 empirical articles encompassing 499,563 observations, and 282 effect sizes from 1984 to 2020 using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software.

Results show that country-of-origin image has a positive, moderate effect on consumer brand evaluations. Moreover, findings reveal that each dimension of country-of-origin image – general country image, general product country image, specific product country image and partitioned country image – significantly influences consumer brand evaluation, but the effect of general product country image is the largest. What’s more, the aggregate impacts of country-of-origin image on consumer brand evaluation – brand commitment, brand-specific associations and general brand impressions – show that the effect on brand commitment is the largest. Finally, findings show that contextual factors (brand source, product sector, culture [individualism vs collectivism], brand origin continents and respondents’ continent) and methodological factors (cues, sampling unit, publication year and sample size) significantly account for between-study variance.

This study provides the first meta-analytic review of the relationship between country-of-origin image and consumer brand evaluation to help clarify mixed findings and balance out the literature, which has only seen quantitative reviews on product evaluation and purchase decisions.

This study aims to investigate the effect of country image on investment intention and the role of investment image as a mediating factor. Both cognitive and affective country image dimensions were addressed to assess the functional and emotional aspects of the country image and their effects on investment intention. The current study targeted Egypt, as one of the developing countries, from the point of view of Nordic investors.

Partial least squares structural equation modeling was used to test the proposed model using data collected from 124 top managers of different companies in the clean energy sector in Nordic countries.

The results showed that cognitive and affective country images are positively related to the investment image, and that investment image is positively correlated with the investment intention. The investment image has a full mediating role in the relationship between cognitive and affective country images and investment intention.

The past few decades have witnessed a growing interest in country image research; however, limited studies have investigated the impact of country image on foreign investment intention. This study adds to the understanding for the potential contribution of the investment image of developing countries in the decision-making process for the foreign direct investment.

It is critical to understand how global consumers evaluate the quality of Asian products while marketing Asian products in the global marketplaces. The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of Korea’s macro and micro country image and global consumers’ materialism level on the quality evaluation of Korean cosmetics among consumers in four countries.

Data from 900 participants were collected from consumers aged 20 or older living in economically developed countries (the USA and France) and economically developing countries (China and Vietnam) via professional online survey firms. Multiple regression analyses were used to analyze the data.

Along with the direct effect of macro and micro country image and materialism on product quality evaluation, a moderating effect of materialism and the respective country was discovered. Subsequently, the effect of macro country image on quality evaluation was found to be only significant in the USA and France and not in China and Vietnam. In contrast, the impact of micro country image was robust across all four countries. Furthermore, the effect of materialism on product quality was significant only in Vietnam. This implies that materialistic consumers in emerging markets might have favorable perceptions regarding the quality of Korean cosmetics.

This study advances country image research by providing new theoretical and managerial implications for countries whose image is less distinctive with respect to the effective marketing of products by the destination countries’ development status and consumers’ familiarity.

Investigates the transferability of country images from well‐known products to new product categories. States that analysis of data indicates that consumers’ perceptions of new products from a given country are related to the image they hold for well‐known products from that country. Further, the extent of transferability of beliefs is moderated by the extent of perceived similarity between the well‐known and the new product categories.

The purpose of this paper is to facilitate and clarify the perceptions of Spanish consumers towards China, its people, and its products, while outlining the overall contemporary Chinese product-country image (PCI) within the Spanish market.

A 52-item construct was adapted from former PCI scales from cross-cultural equivalence, including “country image”, “personal image”, “product image”, “general knowledge about China”, and “personal data”. Overall, 215 valid structured questionnaires were gathered.

The current study provides: a PCI literature review; hypotheses results concerning Spanish citizens’ views of Chinese products’ price, quality, technicality, inventiveness, and known brands concepts; descriptive statistics and results graphs for each of the PCI sections; and correlations of other variables with the five product image variables within the construct.

Implementing standardized, longitudinal consumer studies that facilitate better comprehension of PCI evolution within a specific market emerged as a future research agenda.

The data informed both the Chinese public and private organizations’ managers of the importance of adapting to the market and non-market environments within Spain to avoid the liability of country of origin effect.

The purpose of this paper is to examine an alternate halo model across the context of South Korea, China and India, and provide expanded interrelationships among their major brands’ brand images, country images, general product images and category-specific images (electronics and fashion handbags).

The proposed hypotheses in the alternate halo model were tested through a quantitative (survey) approach.

The results of analyzing 305 American consumers’ responses suggest theoretical and marketing implications for Asian countries in utilizing brand image effect and cross-category halo effects in marketing products in the global market.

The study proposes an alternate country image model that can be applied to the context of Asian countries with relatively immature country image, which is expanded from the traditional models in literature.

The purpose of this paper is to measure country image and destination image of Brazil and identify influential information sources as image agents that help forming these images.

An online sample of respondents residing in the USA was surveyed using a structured survey design. County image, destination image and information sources were measured using seven-point Likert scales. Frequencies, descriptives, correlation analyses, t-test and ordinary least squares regression were used to analyze the data.

The findings revealed that Brazil’s destination image is stronger than its country image. Brazil’s destination image is rated above the middle rank (4) on the seven-point scale, the strongest attributes being scenic beauty, beaches and water attractions. Its country image, on the other hand, is below the middle rank (4) on the seven-point scale. Correlated with seven of the nine country image items, general knowledge from school is potentially the most influential agent for country image while word-of-mouth, printed or online news media and TV programs are potentially the most influential agent for destination image.

The image of Brazil has not been a focus of existing empirical research. Also, this study bridges the gap between country image and destination image in relation to information sources.

The purpose of this paper is to decompose the concept of country of origin (COO) and test the influence of country of design (COD) and country of manufacture (COM) on consumer evaluations of bi‐national products (products designed in one country and manufactured in another). In addition to global country images, the paper aims to introduce the concept of “fit” or the logical connection between product categories and the COD or COM.

Relationships between constructs (perceived product quality, COD image, COM image and perceived fits) are hypothesized and data are collected via survey on the Tunisian market. Each of the 389 respondents evaluated different combinations (COD/COM) for two product categories (automobiles and television sets). All hypotheses are tested using multiple regression analysis.

The paper finds that the concept of fit between country image (both COD and COM) and product category is an important determinant of product evaluations. For products with status symbolic meanings (automobiles), consumers from emerging countries are more sensitive to COD than for more private goods (television sets) for which COM and COM/product fit are important.

This study used two informational cues (COD and COM), and fairly complex durable goods. Results need to be expanded and confirmed with other product categories on other emergent markets.

Practical implications of the study are that, beyond country images, measurement of fit between COD or COM and the product category will help define marketing communications and product promotions by emphasizing (or de‐emphasizing) global country information, country image/product fit, or both.

The paper provides new insights into consumer judgements of product quality for bi‐national products.

This paper aims to further enhance the understanding of elements relevant to creating affection for a country’s identity, culture and values.

An overview of theoretical contributions is followed by a description of exploratory research on the overall image of Turkey. Survey-based empirical data (a convenience sample consisting of 838 Croatian citizens) are analysed using Statistica v7; mean values and a t-test are applied. The importance-performance Analysis (IPA) is also performed. The level of the respondent’s actual knowledge of Turkey is analysed by examining the content of their associations.

Research findings support a proven multidimensionality of the country/destination image construct. Turkey has become an appealing tourist destination; its image consists of positive associations that point to the effectiveness of soap operas broadcast abroad and promotional investments into the creation of the country image in foreign markets. Negative perceptions are related to human rights and gender inequalities.

The use of a convenience sample (with predominantly female respondents) places a clear constraint on generalising the findings. Consequently, the results should be treated only as indicative. Furthermore, the one-country nature of the study limits the implications to theory.

Findings that soap operas might be a valuable source for Turkey’s image formation, and as such affect subsequent consumer behaviour, provide valuable insights for tourism and international marketing professionals who are either already in business or who are planning to internationalise future activities.

The study adds to the existing knowledge suggesting that popular culture, i.e. soap operas, is an interesting dimension of country/destination image deserving of further research.