Managing favorable product-country match in international markets: the case of “Made in Gessi”

Studies on country-of-origin effect (COO) largely show that product and country image is relevant in the field of perceptions and of quality evaluations of unfamiliar products. Roth and Romeo (1992) highlight that country image is product-specific and in situation of favorable product country match the emphasis of the perceived origin associations of products, created either through the language associated with the brand name or through advertising, can be very beneficial. This paper analyzes the remarkable case of a virtuous mid-sized company of the “made in Italy” operating in the bathroom furnishings industry, Gessi, in order to highlight how it exploits the congruent country image and the effects on its international marketing strategy. We start from the framework of Roth and Romeo (1992), which is discussed in the literature review and then refined through the empirical research.The findings suggest that while Gessi emphasizes the Italian origin of its products, rather than using the generic slogan “made in Italy”, it has decided to use “made in Gessi”, highlighting the place in which all the company's productive activities are carried out: the Gessi Park. The meanings do not arise spontaneously from territory, but from the company's strong personality.Gessi signifies a “private wellness” experience involving style, exclusivity, status, appearance, fashion, design, craftsmanship and quality. It needs hard investment in intellectual, human, relational and structural capital.