Country or Brand: What Matters to Younger Millennials?

ABSTRACT Our objective is to compare the effects of country of origin (COO) and brand on Younger Millennials’ (YM) willingness to buy global brands. We chose the United States, because it is the country of origin for the most valuable global brands. We approached Apple, Levi’s, and McDonald’s because they are iconic brands both in the US and globally. We tested constructs related to the country of origin and brand and then conducted a survey with 367 YM (17-23 years old) as potential brand consumers. We applied a structural equation model to analyze the impacts of these constructs on their willingness to buy. Results indicate that the way YM connect themselves to the brand is more important than the way they perceive or feel about the brand’s country of origin. We studied real brands within their target market and, in a current context, translated constructs for application in day-to-day consumer situations, while seeking discoveries that can be widely applied in the field of international marketing.

摘要 本研究旨在对比原产国（Country of Origin，下文简称COO）与品牌本身对年轻千禧一代（Younger Millennials，下文简称YM）购买全球品牌意愿的影响。我们选取美国作为研究对象，因其是全球价值最高品牌的原产国；同时挑选苹果（Apple）、李维斯（Levi’s）与麦当劳（McDonald’s）作为研究品牌，这三者均为美国本土乃至全球范围内的标志性品牌。我们对与原产国及品牌相关的构念进行了测量，随后招募367名年龄介于17至23岁的年轻千禧一代作为潜在品牌消费者开展问卷调查，并采用结构方程模型分析上述构念对其购买意愿的影响路径。研究结果显示，年轻千禧一代与品牌建立的自我联结方式，相较于其对品牌原产国的认知与情感态度更为重要。本研究针对目标市场中的真实品牌展开调研，在当前市场语境下对构念进行适配转化以贴合日常消费场景，同时力求获得可广泛应用于国际营销领域的研究发现。