The country of brand communication in the retail setting: An analysis of Italian products in China

• We analyse the role of country of brand communication in emerging markets' retailing.
• We develop a framework to analyse static and dynamic elements of COB use in store.
• We analyse a sample of twenty stores selling Italian fashion brands in China.
• We adopt an inductive approach based on mixed methods.
• Results confirm the primary role of retailing and suggest some limitations in COB use.

The aim of this paper is to investigate the role of country of brand (COB) communication within the retail environment of emerging markets. Drawing from the literature on store image, we developed a framework to analyse static and dynamic elements of COB communication. By adopting an inductive approach, we analysed COB use in a sample of 20 stores of Italian fashion brands in China using the mystery shopping technique. Given the increasing growth of e-retailing in China, the in-store observation is complemented by an analysis of the use of COB within the brand's local website and e-commerce page. In order to have a multi-layered representation of the phenomenon, in-depth interviews with managers of Italian firms in fashion industry are carried out. Findings confirm that retailing represents a primary communication channel for firms operating in China; however, the results of the participant observation show that COB is a cue information utilised only by a small percentage of the sample, mainly in a textual and iconic way. Managerial implications are discussed on the extent to which COB communication in store should be managed within an effective marketing strategy in line with the country and consumer characteristics in order to enhance the brand image in a growing market like China.

Chinese Abstract本文的目的在于调研品牌国在新兴市场的零售环境下的传达。我们借鉴关于店铺形象的文献资料，制定出一个框架用于分析品牌国传达的各种静态和动态要素。我们采用归纳法抽样分析了中国国内20间意大利时装品牌店铺对品牌国的使用，而这些店铺都采用神秘购物手法。考虑到中国网上零售的持续增长，应对品牌本土网站和电子商务页面上的品牌国使用情况进行分析，作为对店内观察的补充。为对该现象进行多层次的表述，时装业内的意大利企业的经理们接受了深入的采访。研究结果确认零售是在中国运作的企业的主要沟通交通渠道，然而参与性观察的结果表明品牌国是一种暗示信息，其使用仅在本次抽样店铺中占很小的百分比，且主要以文字和图标形式使用。在有效营销策略的范围内，店铺里的品牌国传达应当受到何种程度的管理，以符合国别和消费者特点，从而在中国等成长型市场中增强品牌形象，本文对管理层面上的启示进行了探讨。