한국 브랜드의 원산지에 대한 해외 소비자 혼동에 관한 실증 연구

This study is intended to examine consumer confusion on brand origin of Samsung andHyundai Motors in 28 countries. Specifically, we examined the effect of brand origin confusionon brand image and country-of-origin image. In addition, drawing from consumer confusiontheory, we proposed and tested several individual-level and country-level antecedents of originconfusion through a multi-level modelling technique. As individual-level antecedents, consumercosmopolitan and ethnocentric values and demographics were considered, whereas countrycharacteristics suggested from“psychic distance” theory were included as country-level antecedents. Our findings show that consumers who confused Samsung and Hyundai Motors as Japanesebrands exhibited more favorable brand image. But those who correctly recognized them as Koreanbrands showed more favorable perceptions about Korean-origin products in general. In addition,our analyses on antecedents indicate that confused consumers tend to be less cosmopolitan andmore ethnocentric. Also, the study found more confused consumers in geographically culturallydistant countries. Our findings also provide interesting implications related to marketing andgovernmental policies. As marketing implications, origin confusion may not be necessarilydetrimental to firms when their brands are confused with favorable countries of origin. On theother hand, governments perhaps ought to reduce consumer origin confusions for successfulbrands, since the brands may contribute to formation of a favorable country image.