4 DECEMBER 2018PROFESSORJOHN THØGERSEN
Origin branding of organic food: Insights from France, Germany, China and Thailand
John Thøgersen
The SOMDwIT-project John Thøgersen, Susanne Pedersen & Jessica Aschemann-Witzel
4 DECEMBER 2018DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENTAARHUS UNIVERSITY
MAPP CENTRE – RESEARCH ON VALUE CREATION IN THE FOOD SECTOR
PROFESSOR
JOHN THØGERSEN
ORIGIN BRANDING
How a country’s image affects attitudes towards itsproducts and services
Promoting the country's image and products by means of strategic marketing management
4 DECEMBER 2018DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENTAARHUS UNIVERSITY
MAPP CENTRE – RESEARCH ON VALUE CREATION IN THE FOOD SECTOR
PROFESSOR
JOHN THØGERSEN
INTERNATIONAL TRADE WITH ORGANIC FOODS
• The demand for organic food is growing faster than domestic production in many countries, which has led to increasing import (Willer & Schaack, 2017) – and export opportunities for Danish companies
• In order to expand organic food production in Denmark faster than the growth in domestic demand allows, many companies in the sector are increasingly export oriented
• Very limited research on the effect of COO for consumer attitudes towards organic food (Thøgersen et al., 2017)
Thøgersen, J. et al. (2017). How important is country-of-origin for organic foodconsumers? A review of the literature and suggestions for future research. British Food Journal, 119(3), 542-557.
4 DECEMBER 2018DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENTAARHUS UNIVERSITY
MAPP CENTRE – RESEARCH ON VALUE CREATION IN THE FOOD SECTOR
PROFESSOR
JOHN THØGERSEN
SOMDwIT OBJECTIVE
Investigate consumer evaluation and choices of imported organic foods... and examine the combined effect of organiclabeling and country of origin (COO) in four exportmarkets How is Denmark perceived as an organic
producer in export markets? Does Denmark’s image in export markets
create competitive advantages for organicfoods?
4 DECEMBER 2018DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENTAARHUS UNIVERSITY
MAPP CENTRE – RESEARCH ON VALUE CREATION IN THE FOOD SECTOR
PROFESSOR
JOHN THØGERSEN
THREE METHODS
1
2
3
4 DECEMBER 2018DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENTAARHUS UNIVERSITY
MAPP CENTRE – RESEARCH ON VALUE CREATION IN THE FOOD SECTOR
PROFESSOR
JOHN THØGERSEN
MARKETS
4 DECEMBER 2018DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENTAARHUS UNIVERSITY
MAPP CENTRE – RESEARCH ON VALUE CREATION IN THE FOOD SECTOR
PROFESSOR
JOHN THØGERSEN
Country image
“beliefs that consumers hold regarding particular countries” (Josiassen et al., 2013, p. 253)
Inferred from consumer choices
Response scales
Open questions
4 DECEMBER 2018DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENTAARHUS UNIVERSITY
MAPP CENTRE – RESEARCH ON VALUE CREATION IN THE FOOD SECTOR
PROFESSOR
JOHN THØGERSEN
Denmark
4 DECEMBER 2018DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENTAARHUS UNIVERSITY
MAPP CENTRE – RESEARCH ON VALUE CREATION IN THE FOOD SECTOR
PROFESSOR
JOHN THØGERSEN
Food products from Denmark
4 DECEMBER 2018DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENTAARHUS UNIVERSITY
MAPP CENTRE – RESEARCH ON VALUE CREATION IN THE FOOD SECTOR
PROFESSOR
JOHN THØGERSEN
SAMPLE DESCRIPTION – Hamburg, Munich, Münster
In-Store Interviews
• 255 interviews with regular organic shoppers
• Spilt evenly across cities• Representative sample with regard
to demographic characteristics
Focus Group Discussions
• 2 focus groups per city• 6-7 participants• Heterogeneous group
composition with regard to demographic characteristics
QUALITATIVE RESEARCH GERMANY
Hamburg
Münster
Munich Austria
Pedersen, S., Aschemann-Witzel, J., & Thøgersen, J. (2018). Consumers' evaluation of imported organic food products: The role of geographicaldistance. Appetite, 130, 134-145.
4 DECEMBER 2018DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENTAARHUS UNIVERSITY
MAPP CENTRE – RESEARCH ON VALUE CREATION IN THE FOOD SECTOR
PROFESSOR
JOHN THØGERSEN
COO PREFERENCES (In-Store)
Aust
ria
Aust
ria
Aust
ria
Aust
ria
Italy
Italy
Italy
Italy
Net
herla
nds N
ethe
rland
s
Net
herla
nds
Net
herla
nds
Fran
ce
Fran
ce
Fran
ce
Fran
ce
Switz
erla
nd
Switz
erla
nd
Switz
erla
nd
Switz
erla
ndSpai
n
Spai
n
Spai
n
Spai
n
Den
mar
k
Den
mar
k
Den
mar
k Den
mar
k
Pola
nd Pola
nd
Pola
nd
Pola
nd
Oth
er
Oth
er
Oth
er
Oth
er
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
O V E R A L L H A M B U R G M U N I C H M Ü N S T E R
4 DECEMBER 2018DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENTAARHUS UNIVERSITY
MAPP CENTRE – RESEARCH ON VALUE CREATION IN THE FOOD SECTOR
PROFESSOR
JOHN THØGERSEN
PREFERENCES FOR FOREIGN CsOO*
* Each respondent could mention more than one country
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
% Thailand 2016
China 2016
China 2017
Nuttavuthisit, K., & Thøgersen, J. (2018). Developing-economypreferences for imported organic food products. Journal of International Consumer Marketing (In press).
4 DECEMBER 2018DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENTAARHUS UNIVERSITY
MAPP CENTRE – RESEARCH ON VALUE CREATION IN THE FOOD SECTOR
PROFESSOR
JOHN THØGERSEN
ATTITUDES TOWARDS BUYING ORGANIC MILK/PORK CHOPS FROM DENMARK
5.65
3.98
3.36
5.44 5.345.43
4.08
3.49
5.114.78
1.00
2.00
3.00
4.00
5.00
6.00
7.00
Denmark Germany France China Thailand
Milk Pork chops
4 DECEMBER 2018DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENTAARHUS UNIVERSITY
MAPP CENTRE – RESEARCH ON VALUE CREATION IN THE FOOD SECTOR
PROFESSOR
JOHN THØGERSEN
CHOICE EXPERIMENT
• Milk or Pork chops• 12 choice sets w. three options + ”none of these”• Same quantity and picture (adapted to the country)• Price (conventional price, + 50 %, + 100%)• Organic label: None, local, EU• COO: Home country, nearby, far away
Thøgersen, J., Pedersen, S., & Aschemann-Witzel, J. (2019). The impact of organic certification and country of origin on consumer food choice in developed and emerging economies. Food Quality and Preference, 72, 10-30.
4 DECEMBER 2018DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENTAARHUS UNIVERSITY
MAPP CENTRE – RESEARCH ON VALUE CREATION IN THE FOOD SECTOR
PROFESSOR
JOHN THØGERSEN
GERMANY
-2.5
-2
-1.5
-1
-0.5
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
Milk Pork-2.5
-2
-1.5
-1
-0.5
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
4 DECEMBER 2018DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENTAARHUS UNIVERSITY
MAPP CENTRE – RESEARCH ON VALUE CREATION IN THE FOOD SECTOR
PROFESSOR
JOHN THØGERSEN
FRANCE
Milk Pork-2
-1.5
-1
-0.5
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
-2
-1.5
-1
-0.5
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
4 DECEMBER 2018DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENTAARHUS UNIVERSITY
MAPP CENTRE – RESEARCH ON VALUE CREATION IN THE FOOD SECTOR
PROFESSOR
JOHN THØGERSEN
Basic country image
Product country image
Category country image
Country image
Attitude towards buying product X from Country Y
Intention to buy product X from Country Y
Buying product X from Country Y
Adapted from Josiassen et al., (2013)
4 DECEMBER 2018DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENTAARHUS UNIVERSITY
MAPP CENTRE – RESEARCH ON VALUE CREATION IN THE FOOD SECTOR
PROFESSOR
JOHN THØGERSEN
DENMARK’S IMAGE IN GERMANY AND FRANCE –> ORGANIC MILK
Category Country Image
Product Country Image
Basic Country Image
Attitude to buyingDanish organic
milk
GE/FR
*** p < .001
ns/ns Adj. R2 = .23/.20
Thøgersen, J., Aschemann-Witzel, J., & Pedersen, S. (2019). Country image and consumer evaluation of imported products. European Journal of Marketing (Under review).
4 DECEMBER 2018DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENTAARHUS UNIVERSITY
MAPP CENTRE – RESEARCH ON VALUE CREATION IN THE FOOD SECTOR
PROFESSOR
JOHN THØGERSEN
Basic country image
Product country image
Category country image
Country image
Attitude towards buying product X from Country Y
Intention to buy product X from Country Y
Buying product X from Country Y
4 DECEMBER 2018DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENTAARHUS UNIVERSITY
MAPP CENTRE – RESEARCH ON VALUE CREATION IN THE FOOD SECTOR
PROFESSOR
JOHN THØGERSEN
ENVIRONMENTAL COUNTRY IMAGE –DANISH ORGANIC MILK
Category Country Image
Product Country Image
Basic Country Image
Attitude to buyingDanish organic
milk
GE/FR
** p < .01, *** p < .001
ns/nsAdj. R2 = .22/.20
EnvironmentalCountry Image
ns/ns.58***/.76***
Indirect effect of ECI on the Attitude: .37/.33
Thøgersen, J., Aschemann-Witzel, J., & Pedersen, S. (2019). How Important is a Consistent Country Image for Consumer Responses to an Imported Environmentally-Friendly Product? (Manuscript in preparation).
4 DECEMBER 2018DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENTAARHUS UNIVERSITY
MAPP CENTRE – RESEARCH ON VALUE CREATION IN THE FOOD SECTOR
PROFESSOR
JOHN THØGERSEN
SUMMING UP
Denmark’s country equity as origin for organic food products is especially lacking in terms of familiarity, but it is generally favourable in terms of trustworthiness and a “green” imageIn European markets, distance is a major liability, which needs to be compensatedIn Asian markets, export from Denmark is challenged by low familiarity, but a favourable country image creates opportunitiesExporters need to be concerned about Denmark’s image with regard to the specific product category, but also Denmark’s general image, and not least Denmark’s environmental image
4 DECEMBER 2018DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENTAARHUS UNIVERSITY
MAPP CENTRE – RESEARCH ON VALUE CREATION IN THE FOOD SECTOR
PROFESSOR
JOHN THØGERSEN
" To be effective, the desired image must be close to reality, believable, simple, appealing and distinctive
(Kotler & Gertner, 2002)
4 DECEMBER 2018DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENTAARHUS UNIVERSITY
MAPP CENTRE – RESEARCH ON VALUE CREATION IN THE FOOD SECTOR
PROFESSOR
JOHN THØGERSEN
IMPLICATIONS
Build on and strengthen Denmark’s “green nation” image
High ”workmanship” in farming and food production
First state-controlled organic labelHighest organic market share
Denmark’s realities: Strong institutions (standards, authorisation, control)Low corruptionEqualityWind energyBicycling
Tell the story about Denmark’s leading role in the organic market
Increase the environmental ambitions in Denmark’s agricultural policy (climate, ground water protection, animal welfare)
4 DECEMBER 2018DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENTAARHUS UNIVERSITY
MAPP CENTRE – RESEARCH ON VALUE CREATION IN THE FOOD SECTOR
PROFESSOR
JOHN THØGERSEN
FURTHER READING
Published Thøgersen, J., Pedersen, S., Paternoga, M., Schwendel, E., & Aschemann-Witzel, J. (2017). How important is
country-of-origin for organic food consumers? A review of the literature and suggestions for future research. British Food Journal, 119(3), 542-557.
Pedersen, S., Aschemann-Witzel, J., & Thøgersen, J. (2018). Consumers' evaluation of imported organic foodproducts: The role of geographical distance. Appetite, 130, 134-145.
Thøgersen, J., Pedersen, S., & Aschemann-Witzel, J. (2019). The impact of organic certification and country of origin on consumer food choice in developed and emerging economies. Food Quality and Preference, 72, 10-30.
In press Nuttavuthisit, K., & Thøgersen, J. (2018). Developing-economy preferences for imported organic food products.
Journal of International Consumer Marketing (In press). In preparation Thøgersen, J., Aschemann-Witzel, J., & Pedersen, S. (2019). Country image and consumer evaluation of imported
products. European Journal of Marketing (Under review). Pedersen, S., Zhang, T., Zhou, Y., Aschemann-Witzel, J., & Thøgersen, J. (2018). Pride and prejudice? A
comparison of consumer preferences for country-of-origins of imported organic foods in Germany and China. (Manuscript in preparation).
Thøgersen, J., Aschemann-Witzel, J., & Pedersen, S. (2019). How Important is a Consistent Country Image for Consumer Responses to an Imported Environmentally-Friendly Product? (Manuscript in preparation).