Louise A Heslop

This is the first-ever book about product and country images. It goes considerably beyond what was known until now about these images on buyer behavior and international market strategy. Thousands of companies use country identifiers as part of their international marketing strategy and hundreds of researchers have studied the ways in which these identifiers influence behavior. As markets become more international, the more prominently the origin of products will figure in sellers’and buyers’decisions. The time is ripe for practitioners and academicians to delve into the insights offered in this seminal volume so as to better prepare for meeting the competitive challenges of the global marketplace.

National stereotyping and consumer biases in favor or against countries, based on image, have been known for some time to influence their marketplace decisions. Businesspeople who want to learn how to use country identifiers effectively, when to use them and when to avoid them, and how country images affect the behavior of consumers in their target markets will want to read this book cover to cover. Product-Country Images discusses the nature and role and influence of product-country images in international marketing strategy and consumer behavior. It is a wide-ranging and state-of-the-art book offering specific information and case studies to further understanding of the various aspects of this complex topic.

Written by the world’s preeminent researchers in the field from both academic and business sectors--a total of twenty-nine researchers from eleven countries--Product-Country Images presents the work of some of the best minds in the area--Johansson, Morello, Nebenzahl and Jaffe, Crawford and Lumpkin, Yaprak, Liefeld, and Wall, and the editors, Papadopoulos and Heslop, who have also authored some of its chapters. The chapters cover areas related to the main theme from both theoretical and practical perspectives and address questions of international marketing strategy, public policy, and research methodology. The subject is treated at a level suitable for business executives, public policymakers, academic researchers, and university students.

Generally, the influence of product country images is so pervasive that this will be an indispensable reference and guidebook to anyone interested in understanding better, and/or enhancing the effectiveness of, international consumer behavior, international marketing, and international marketing strategy. Academic researchers specializing in country-product images, international marketing, and other fields, such as decisionmaking, cultural anthropology, international behavior, and perhaps most importantly, social psychology for international relations, will find readily applicable information and new directions for further research. International business marketing practitioners and public policymakers will find the practical information on the role and importance of country image in attracting foreign investment, promoting a nation’s exports, protecting domestic markets from imports, and capitalizing on major international events for promoting national image immediately useful in formulating strategies and policies. International marketing/business students will be better prepared for a competitive world from being exposed to this field of knowledge and its implications which are relevant to many subdisciplines.

The made-in notion is a matter of tremendous importance in international marketing strategy, public policymaking, and research. With this in mind, editors Papadopoulos and Heslop take special care to achieve a blend of practice and theory and of the strategic, policy, and research perspectives. As such, Product-Country Images is divided into five main sections so that readers will be able to find the information they need:

• In the first section, the chapters that introduce the subject, provide an overview of the field,