In my previous blog, I described how stereotypes define a country. The individuals living in a certain country make the image of that country. But it goes both ways.
Individuals invent products; individuals start firms, individuals apply knowledge. So, we buy from those individuals? No, we buy from countries: watches from Switzerland, chocolate from Belgium, wine from France. If we had the chose between a car with no brand from Japan or a car without a brand from India. We would choose the one from Japan (unless we have a death wish). Is the car from Japan better? Is it more reliable? You don’t know that. The person behind the cars is unknown. But we associate the product made in a specific country with that specific country. Many brands have tried to evade the ‘made in china’ label, and some have succeeded. Why? Because if we think about the quality of product made in china we don’t have a very good image of it. It has a negative connotation.
I personally don’t care where my product is made. We study economics, we know that companies will go to the place where costs are low and laws are flexible. I know that a lot of ‘top’-brands are made in emerging countries. And I know if I don’t pay a lot for a product, I will probably not be the best product. It’s all depends of the perspective of the customer. Do you want a Swiss watch because it sounds good? Buy one, but know that there are probably equal or better watches for less money in the world. Do you want Belgian beer because it is the best in the world? Buy Belgian beer, because you won’t find any better!
Christophe Parrein
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