Luxury cars Made-in-China: Consequences for brand positioning

• Published in: Journal of business research Vol. 102; pp. 288 - 297
• Main Authors: Bartikowski, Boris, Fastoso, Fernando, Gierl, Heribert
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Inc 01.09.2019
• Subjects: Brand origin image; Consumer culture positioning; Country of manufacture; Country-of-origin; Luxury cars; Made-in-China; Country of manufacture; Made-in-China; Brand origin image; Consumer culture positioning; Country-of-origin; Luxury cars
• ISSN: 0148-2963; 1873-7978
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.01.072

This research shows that effects of Alden, Steenkamp, and Batra's (1999) consumer-culture positioning strategies (i.e., global, local, or foreign consumer-culture positioning) on consumer attitudes toward brands are contingent on the image of the foreign brand's country of-origin and the communication of a Made-in-China label. In the context of luxury cars in China, we find that Made-in-China acts as a primary cue that overrides both the effect of consumer culture positioning strategies and the effect of the foreign brand's country-of-origin image on consumer attitudes. Consumer-culture positioning strategies differ in their effects on brand attitudes only when advertising does not signal Made-in-China. This research contributes to qualifying the effects of country of brand-origin image and consumer-culture positioning strategies in relation to global luxury brands manufactured in newly industrialized economies.