The Challenge Of Creating And Maintaining Respected Country-Of-Origin Assets: The Irish Linen Story

Abstract

The idea that country images and brand images can be strongly linked is well accepted in international marketing (Paswan et al, 2003; Al-Sulaiti and Baker, 1998; Li and Murray, 2000; Zhang, 1997). A country image projected to the rest of the world is very complex (O’Shaughnessy and O’Shaughnessy, 2000; Insch and McBride, 2002) and multidimensional (Papadopoulos and Heslop, 2002). Some products and their countries are linked so strongly that the brand images include their country of origin (COO).  Certain Irish products have such a linkage.  A Chicago Tribune article observes that when tourists go to Ireland they often are unable to resist buying fine handmade products that are known worldwide for their quality, such as Aran sweaters, Irish linen and lace, tweeds, Waterford crystal, Belleek china, and Celtic motif jewelry and pewter (Merin, 1991).  Of those fine products, linen is inseparably linked with the nation as Irish linen.  Irish linen is now a brand name that yields the benefits and problems inherent with brand status and subject to the influences of country of image effects.