Origin stories

As we know well, what consumers say is not always what they do. For example, consumers often say they want to support brands that "do good" in the world, but the evidence that they actually base their purchases on a brand's good deeds is scant, at best.

A new article in the journal Psychology & Marketing addresses a different say-do gap: when consumers state a preference for domestic products (e.g., "Made in the U.S.A.") but then deviate from that preference when it's time to buy.

The authors argue that consumers' stated preference isn't necessarily wrong—all else being equal, many people really do prefer domestic products. The problem is that all else is never equal. Price, quality, brand, and other factors can easily override a preference for homegrown products.

When that happens, and when they are confronted with the inconsistency in their behavior, consumers start rationalizing. I am buying this product made overseas because its country of origin makes it more authentic. Or national origin doesn't matter in this specific case. Or everyone is buying this foreign product, so why shouldn't I?

The authors recommend that brands seeking to make national origin a key aspect of their appeal should connect that origin to something emotionally meaningful for consumers.  

In other words, because this table is made in the U.S.A., that means it incorporates premium wood only found in the verdant forests of Vermont, for example. Or because it is made in the U.S.A., buying this will make you feel like part of a community of like-minded people who appreciate the uniquely high quality of American furniture.

I suspect this is true for any brand that wants to make national origin a big part of its story, whether appealing to people at home or abroad. Few would care that BMW was made in Germany if the story stopped there. But the brand has tied German origin to German engineering, which makes the country of origin mean something at an emotional level.