On the Role of Emotions in the Formation of Preferences for Products of the Own Region
The determinants of consumer preferences for products of the own region are subject to controversies. Do consumers buy regional products, because they promise a better or different quality, hence are these preferences the results of cognitive processes? Or are they based on emotional differentiation? There are many arguments backing the hypothesis that the origin of the products has first of all an emotional value for consumers. Regional products are of better "emotional quality" than products of other or unknown origin. By labelling with their origin products are positioned emotionally like brands. In the perception of regional quality labels, the origin cue is more important than the quality cue for most consumers. Against this background the fear of the EU-commission, that the association of the quality cue with the origin cue, for example in the case of the CMA quality label, is misleading consumers, seems to be exaggerated and not understandable.
