Competitiveness and foreign perception of Italy and Made in Italy on the emerging markets.

The study contributes to the debate about the actual and perspective competitiveness of the Made in Italy on the emerging markets and it presents the preliminary results of an ongoing survey conducted by the Research Centre on Made in Italy of the Università degli Studi Internazionali di Roma (MADEINT) and by the Università del Sannio on a sample of 3.150 consumers intercepted in the 7 emerging markets characterized by the highest potential for the Italian export. The survey has been designed to explore the perception of Italy as a country, of the Italian culture and of national products and tourism destinations, along with the related behavioural intentions. Results confirm that the Italian country of origin effect represent a fundamental sources of competitive advantage and a significant predictor of the foreign consumers’ perceptions and positive evaluations. Based on the results, the study concludes with a discussion of the implications for the international promotion of Italy and Made in Italy.