COUNTRY OF ORIGIN ATTRIBUTES INTEGRATION INTO A PRODUCT’S BRAND IDENTITY

This research examines differences in the level of COO attributes integration in brand identity, depending on the COO’s level of development and the strength of the image that country has as a COO for a given product category. The research was conducted in two phases. In the first phase, a contextual analysis of COO’s attributes integration in the brand identity of the end-use products for selected Croatian and Italian companies (62 brands were analyzed) was made. The second phase involved quantitative research on a sample of 240 consumers using highly structured questionnaire on the recognition of the integrated COO attributes in the brand identity. The main results of the research are: a) systematic integration of COO’s attributes into a product’s brand identity is not evident neither for Croatian nor for Italian brands; b) the greatest level of integration is in the food and drink product category; c) COO’s attributes are most integrated into the brand’s name and packaging as the most visible brand’s elements to the consumers; d) countries with stronger image have a higher level of integration of COO attributes into the brand’s identity; and e) respondents recognize the COO attributes integrated into the brand’s identity. The results have implications for both, micro and macro management levels.