Is naming brands in English worth doing? Effects of foreignness and country of origin on brand equity

ABSTRACT The effect of the brand identity strategies, foreignness and country of origin, on brand equity raises questions about the effectiveness of the names given by entrepreneurs to commercial establishments. This study investigates the influence of foreignness and country of origin on consumer-based brand equity. We conduct a 2x2 between-subjects experiment with 280 participants, using brand foreignness and country of origin as manipulated variables and brand equity as the dependent variable. The results show a positive and direct effect of foreignness on brand equity indicators, associated image and willingness to pay a premium price. Country of origin moderated the relationship between foreignness and brand equity, showing that a brand with foreignness increases exclusivity without any identification of the country of origin and that a brand without foreignness increases the same indicator when the country of origin is present. This research may help in building and managing new product, service, and retail brands.摘要 品牌身份战略、品牌外来性（foreignness）与原产国对品牌资产的影响，引发了学界针对创业者为商业机构拟定品牌名称之有效性的相关疑问。本研究旨在探讨外来性与原产国对基于消费者的品牌资产（consumer-based brand equity）的影响。我们采用2×2被试间实验设计，招募280名参与者，以品牌外来性与原产国作为操纵变量，以品牌资产作为因变量。研究结果表明，品牌外来性对品牌资产各维度（包括品牌关联形象与溢价支付意愿）具有正向直接影响。原产国对品牌外来性与品牌资产间的关系存在调节作用：当品牌未标注原产国时，具备外来性的品牌可提升其排他性指标；而当品牌标注原产国时，不具备外来性的品牌则可提升该同一指标。本研究可为新产品、服务及零售品牌的构建与管理提供有益借鉴。