국가이미지와 브랜드개성이 상품선택에 미치는 영향 = Influence of Country Image and Brand Personality on Selection of Goods

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Nowadays consumers are making every effort to satisfy their interests in product purchases. This means that consumers purchase products at their desired level of quality and price. However, consumers have difficulty in choosing products because the information available does not allow them to adequately evaluate the quality of product. Because of this, consumers may use proxy indicators of product quality to evaluate the real product quality or the value for money of a product. Proxy indicators such as country of origin, brand and price information are extrinsic informational cues frequently used by consumers. There have been many studies which investigate the relationship between product quality and such proxy indicators. Researchers have found that consumers evaluate product quality according to the country of origin information and the brand name of a product. However, existing studies on country image mainly emphasize the functional factors of a product and brand related to country image in consumer purchasing decisions. They have given relatively little weight to the symbolic and emotional aspects of brand and product. In this context, this thesis researches directly and indirectly how country image and functional attribute as well as brand personality influence consumers` brand selection-preference and purchase intention-and reports the strategic implications of its findings. Further, the country image embodied in products is examined for compact cars and TVs in the United States, Japan and Korea. From the viewpoints of American, Japanese and Korean consumers, the researcher seeks to determine how country image, functional attributes and brand personality influence brand selection. The strategic implication of this research are as follows: functional attribute above all else was revealed as the most powerful variable. Next, brand personality presents as a symbolic aspect that accounts for a significant amount of differences in consumers` brand selection. Throughout this study, it can be acutely recognized that brand personality in relation to its symbolic aspect has an important influence on consumers` brand selection. The results of this study show 1) image of country brand manifests in functional and symbolic aspects 2) five different brand personalities apply to this symbolic aspect 3) brand personality as well as functional attribute have a positive effect on consumers` brand selection This study suggests the necessity of effort to develop representative brands with a unique personality in connection with country image. That is, brand personality adds brand identity to reliability and makes for a stronger brand in the international market. It also furnishes the differentiation for guiding effective brand marketing.