National Pride Matters as Three in Five Americans More Likely to Purchase Product When Ad Emphasizes it is 'Made in America'

NEW YORK, Oct. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- There is a sense of national pride when a world-wide innovation is created in the U.S.  Advertising that emphasizes a product is "Made in America" plays to that national pride, and it seems to have results. Three in five Americans (61%) say they are more likely to purchase something when the ad touts it is "Made in America" and only 3% say they are less likely to buy it. Just over one-third (35%) of U.S. adults say they are neither more nor less likely to purchase a product when an ad emphasizes it is "Made in America."

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These are some of the findings of a recent Adweek Media/Harris Poll survey of 2,163 U.S. adults surveyed online between July 27 and 29, 2010 by Harris Interactive.

Differences by Age

Age plays a role with how likely someone is to buy American; the older one is, the more likely they are to do so.  Three-quarters of (75%) U.S. adults 55 and over say an ad emphasizing a product is "Made in America" would make them more likely to buy that product as would two-thirds (66%) of those 45-54 and three in five (61%) of those 35-44. This number drops considerably for the youngest Americans, with just 44% of those ages 18-34 saying an ad emphasizing a product is "Made in America" would make them more likely to purchase it while over half (52%) say it would make them neither more nor less likely to do so.

Differences by Region

There is also a regional difference. Two-thirds of Midwesterners (67%) say they are more likely to purchase a product when an ad emphasizes it is "Made in America". This drops to six in ten Southerners (61%) and Easterners (60%) and just over half of Westerners (57%) who say the same.

So What?

Advertisers are always looking for a potent, feel-good message to help sell their products.  National pride is something that can always work and Americans are proud of the products made at home.  At the moment, car manufacturers are probably utilizing this tactic best, especially as they try to dig themselves out of the problems of the past few years.

Methodology

This Adweek Media/Harris Poll was conducted online within the United States between July 27 and 29, 2010 among 2,163 adults (aged 18 and over). Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region and household income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Where appropriate, this data were also weighted to reflect the composition of the adult online population. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents' propensity to be online.

All sample surveys and polls, whether or not they use probability sampling, are subject to multiple sources of error which are most often not possible to quantify or estimate, including sampling error, coverage error, error associated with nonresponse, error associated with question wording and response options, and post-survey weighting and adjustments. Therefore, Harris Interactive avoids the words "margin of error" as they are misleading. All that can be calculated are different possible sampling errors with different probabilities for pure, unweighted, random samples with 100% response rates. These are only theoretical because no published polls come close to this ideal.

Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed to participate in Harris Interactive surveys. The data have been weighted to reflect the composition of the adult population. Because the sample is based on those who agreed to participate in the Harris Interactive panel, no estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.

These statements conform to the principles of disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.

The results of this Harris Poll may not be used in advertising, marketing or promotion without the prior written permission of Harris Interactive.

The Harris Poll^® #116, October 8, 2010

By Regina Corso, SVP, Harris Poll, Public Relations and Youth Research, Harris Interactive

About Harris Interactive

Harris Interactive is one of the world's leading custom market research firms, leveraging research, technology, and business acumen to transform relevant insight into actionable foresight. Known widely for the Harris Poll and for pioneering innovative research methodologies, Harris offers expertise in a wide range of industries including healthcare, technology, public affairs, energy, telecommunications, financial services, insurance, media, retail, restaurant, and consumer package goods. Serving clients in over 215 countries and territories through our North American, European, and Asian offices and a network of independent market research firms, Harris specializes in delivering research solutions that help us – and our clients – stay ahead of what's next. For more information, please visit www.harrisinteractive.com.

About AdweekMedia

AdweekMedia encompasses the publications, websites, digital products and events produced by Adweek, Brandweek and Mediaweek. Through this dynamic media network, each brand keeps the agency, marketing and media communities competitive and connected by delivering the latest news and expert analysis most relevant to their specific needs.

AdweekMedia is part of Nielsen Business Media, which is a unit of The Nielsen Company. Nielsen Business Media is a leading market-focused provider of integrated information and sales and marketing solutions, helping businesses go to market more effectively and efficiently.  For more see www.adweek.com.

SOURCE Harris Interactive