Abstract
Country of Origin (COO) sits along with marketing mix factor in the global market place. Given the importance of COO, studies have touched the field of COO effects, though studies pertaining to alcoholic beverage purchase behavior, particularly in the New Zealand remains limited. This study explores the potential impact of demographics on the magnitude of Country of Origin effects for two lager beer products. The data was collected via survey format from 211 respondents living in Auckland, New Zealand. The results from this study suggest that older consumers are more dependent upon the country of origin information when evaluating a product and, particularly when presented with unfamiliar brands, they tend to perceive imported lager beer as being of higher quality, more trendy and more value for money. Also customer perceptions differ based on the customer’s socio-economic status. Middle income customers are more likely to have favorable opinions about imported products, whereas, lower and higher income customers tend to have weaker views on this issue.