Abstract
The impact of “country of origin” on perceptions of product quality and consumer preferences has been studied extensively in the last thirty years. The vast majority of the published studies have indicated the existence of “country of origin” effects. However previous research has focused on aggregate impact. The current study, in contrast, employs conjoint analysis which permits the identification of market segments. Three clusters (segments) were identified, two of which could be characterized as benefit segments. These two benefit segments showed markedly different response patterns to auto brands identified with Japan and the U.S., respectively. The additional insight provided by a segmented approach is clearly illustrated.