Explicit and Implicit Country-of-Origin Stereotypes: Using the Stereotype Content Model to Predict Consumer Responses

This paper applies the Stereotype Content Model (SCM) employing both explicit and implicit measures to investigate how a brand’s country-of-origin (COO) influences consumer responses. An empirical study with six well-known brands from different product categories and different countries shows that the SCM can be a valid theoretical framework for assessing COO effects, using both explicit and implicit measures. The results support the notion that the warmth dimension of the SCM precedes the competence dimension, which then has a positive effect on purchase intention through perceptions
of higher quality and more positive brand affect. Implicit stereotype measures are found to contribute independently to the explicit ones and to explain unique variance in the outcome variables. The implications of the findings are discussed and future research direction are identified.