Country of Origin effect and branding in social media communication

Country of origin effect always attracted scholars and managers; it is a useful way – especially for SMEs – to promote products abroad and to communicate. Scholars investigated the tie between products and ‘territories of origin’ and they elaborated on it from different perspectives: a focus on definitions (Nebenzahl et al., 1997), the effect on consumer behaviour (Schooler, 1965) and the actions to gain competitive advantage (De Chiara, 2012). Recently, the debate on territory has been really crucial and nowadays it seems even more relevant, due to the trend of carrying back some foreign investments and because of the contribution of new media, too. Country of origin effect and social media are affecting brand and its perception in consumers’ sphere; anyway, the huge development of social media did not lead to an adequate attention to its ties with country of origin effect, especially as it concerns empirical evidences. This paper pays attention to the linkage between country of origin effect and social media in the communication choices, to shed some more light on the consequences on international marketing, with specific reference to branding. Thus, the paper is structured as it follows: after reviewing literature on country of origin effect and social media and their ties with branding, the aim is proposed together with methodology; finally, findings from case studies are proposed leading to conclusions for both scholars and managers.