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Have you ever noticed that some products tote some sort of superiority because they were made somewhere specific, or have materials/ingredients from somewhere specific?
As a Canadian, I noticed many people where I live romanticize the notion that anything outside of Canada is exotic, and perhaps revered for it. But what about those of you who live elsewhere around the globe?
I remember one skin care product years ago went on about a special "melon from France" that had some intense properties good for anti-oxidization, and it was their pitch throughout the entire advertisement: this incredibly rare French melon!
But this isn't the first time I've seen a sales pitch entice consumers with the notion that something made somewhere else is better. We often hear "Japanese knives", "Genuine Italian leather", "German crafted [anything]", "French perfumes", "English lavender", "Swiss chocolate", spring water from the Alps, and on it goes — suggesting that when you purchase a product with certain countries involved, it means better quality.
Do you think this is true? Or do you think it's a gimmick? What other countries are considered renowned for their specializations in certain goods that made you think it's a better quality?
I don't know for sure but suspect that some companies in some counties may have developed a unique technique that may make their product superior. But that doesn't mean that every leather manufacturer in Italy is producing leather of the same quality.
Having worked in two advertising agencies, yes indeedy, those selling techniques are vital. When I buy coffee to percolate, I can't help veer towards Italian, for style too, whether for my glasses or clothes. Car-wise, I'd go immediately for a VW until I remember that Ford has served me well for years. Is it a weakness or just good instinct on my part (or parts:-)? Chissà chissà.
Have you ever noticed that some products tote some sort of superiority because they were made somewhere specific, or have materials/ingredients from somewhere specific?
You’re absolutely right. For a long time, “Made in X” implied some sort of inherent superiority, but those days are mostly gone. Today, many brands that still trade on national prestige actually manufacture in low-labour-cost countries. China is the obvious example, but it’s hardly the only one. Some countries even shift production to former colonies or overseas territories—France’s outre-mer regions like Guadeloupe come to mind.
The brand name survives for image and marketing, but it’s often no longer correlated with quality. Take a supposed icon like IKEA of Sweden. It’s been a Dutch holding company for years now, and if you know the Dutch mindset, you’ll understand the emphasis on maximizing profit rather than craftsmanship. Bolts that used to be steel or aluminium are now plastic; solid wood has given way to hollow panels, veneer, melamine, and cardboard-filled structures.
Sure, there were—and still are—famous designers. But here we’re really talking about design, not necessarily build quality. Finnish architecture, Swedish “cool” design, Danish… Lego?
Danish Lego? I always thought it was Swedish. But fine—let the Danes have it. Apart from Greenland, they don’t have much else to boast about (and even that may not last forever ). Joking aside, Greenland has all the ingredients to “become great,” so why doesn’t it? Why does entertainment in Nuuk seem to boil down to drunk monster-truck driving down the one main street? (By the way, that’s not correct — that’s Reykjavík, in Iceland, I heard...)
What about things like “Danish Oil”—where the origin refers more to a specific formulation than to national prestige. In that case, it’s about the components and the mixture, which have proven to be excellent for a low-lustre (matte or semi-matte, as opposed to glossy) wood finish. Rustins, another well-known brand, comes to mind.
For all I know, I may already have used something similar myself—mixing huile de térébenthine with linseed oil.
Lindsey Doyle… you know her? or Camilla Highwater, Myra Marks, Annie Moore, Gideon Shandy, Seymour Cumming, Barbara Seville, Phyllis Stein, Des Irving, Audrey Moffat, Albert Ross, Noah Vale, Tamara Knight, Amelia Cook, Shirley Knot, Eustace Potter, Lois Turner, Natalie Dunn, Horace Cope, Ronnie Corbett, Boris Richard, Guy Standing...
People will associate Scottland with whisky and kilts. That is obvious.
Would you be able to name the two iconic products immediately associated with Portugal?
Obvious too.
Japan? slightly more difficult.
Italy? Easy.
Check the list below for "quick answers" on "associations of brands/products with countries"
The whole "made in" thing started in England in the 19th century as a way to protect themselves against cheap, low quality imports (I think it was knives) from Germany that was lagging behind the mass production technology in those times.
The quality standards in Europe have equalized since then and you can buy reliable products everywhere. Nonetheless there are still some products that are traditionally associated with certain countries / regions.
If you want to buy a fully automatic coffee machine then Switzerland is the place.
On the other hand if you are after a portafilter coffee machine then it should be Italian.
Watches - of course Switzerland.
Big standing clocks - Schwarzwald (Germany)
Floor, wall tiles - used to be Italian but is no longer the case.
Food... I won't dwell on that, the list of regional specialities is sheer endless.
People in countires like Austria or Switzerland (possibly more but I have no first-hand experience) are proud of their products hence they also tend to prefer them over imports.
Before the mass production techniques were invented know-how for manufacturing certain products was often clustered in certain regions - traces of it remain in set phrases typically associated with these products.
Like laces from Brabant.
Carpets from Persia.
Steel (for sabres) from Damascus.
The best mercenaries traditionally came from Switzerland, and they still protect the Vatican today.
There is a company (I won't mention its name) selling its "water from the Alps" worldwide at outragesly high prices. This is a scam. There are plenty of water springs in the Alps - water from them is as good and costs a fraction (or nothing if you get it "from the source").
Danes (...) they don’t have much else to boast about
Novo Nordisk - one of the biggest pharmaceutical companies
Danfoss - Climate and HVAC equipment. You do not want your central heating pump to die in the middle of a winter. Danfoss pumps run maintenance free and never break.
Maersk...
Skype - one of the founders is Danish.
Some personalities:
Tyho de Brahe - Johannes Keppler's mentor in the field of astronomy
H.C. Andersen - no need to explain...
Niels Bohr - pioneer of quantum mechanics
Bjarne Stroustrup - inventor of C++
Danish pastry has made it to the English dictionary.
I think my main point is that brands/companies will try to conjure a feeling of exoticism in their products, or a feeling of patriotism. The US is quite good at this, pandering to their target market who only want to purchase anything "American Made" or "Made in the USA".
I was once shopping for cast iron pans and wanted to know which brands were better than others. On YouTube, I came across someone who took five minutes to go on and on about how one brand in particular was American-made and the reason to use it was because it was tough. Even the American car manufacturer Ford has the tagline "Ford Tough". It gives people a feeling of what they are, not who they are.
My takeaway from advertisers is that if you buy something French, it's luxurious. If you buy something German, it's meticulously engineered properly. If it's Italian, it's stylish. If it's Mexican, it's rustic. If it's American, it's tough. Just to name a few.
We try our best not to fall for it, and yet, brands will find a way to advertise to get into [our] heads that something made "somewhere else" is unique and better because of it.
I think my main point is that brands/companies will try to conjure a feeling of exoticism in their products, or a feeling of patriotism. The US is quite good at this, pandering to their target market who only want to purchase anything "American Made" or "Made in the USA".
But if we extrapolate, 8 years later it is probably more true than ever.
Production and know-how from China moved to the US.
There have been rumours, once that China had a production plant named U.S.A., so Made in U.S.A. would be in China actually.
But no official independent source confirmed this.
That said, if OPEL has its cars manufactured somewhere in Russia, but the machinery is from China and all robots are from ABB Sweden and Germany....what would we label it? Made in Russia?
The world has become too small, and all business too global, that "Made in... "is no longer significant.
I just had a look at our set of BBQ knives - all "ROSTFREI" to make you think of German steel, but they are "Made in China".
And why would German steel be any better than Belgian? (FN weapons) or Swedish? I quote:
While Sweden has several major high-quality steel producers like SSAB and Ovako, the location of the largest single integrated facility for high-quality steel is complex, with SSAB's plant in Oxelösund being notable for its complete vertical integration (from raw material to plate rolling) and Luleå (SSAB's main site for primary production) now hosting the world's most advanced green steel mill construction.
Last edited by Vlot Vlaams on Wed Jan 21, 2026 9:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.
In all seriousness, before coming to China to teach English, I used to teach Business and in particular Marketing/Advertising. If a brand is doing things right, the consumer remembers. You mention Ford Tough, I am here to tell you "good branding" if you the consumer remember it. Branding a product has little to do with "truth" and everything to do with how you can make the consumer remember your brand and then buy it. BTW, most very well-known brand knives are actually made in Yangjiang, Guangdong, China. If you ever go there you will find Germany, Japanese, and other well-known brand name knives, all have factories and outlet stores. Best city to buy really good quality knives. Vlaams, makes a good point, too; the world has become too small today and where something is made has very little to do with how the consumer perceives the quality of it. Thomas Friedman wrote a book a while back called "The World is Flat" it's a bit dated but the concepts are very true, good read, and hits squarely on this topic.
lrai
what's your legacy Learning Yiddish, Chinese, Russian and Spanish
Boil? I haven't done that. But I've sometimes sautéed them with butter and oil with Brussels sprouts after boiling for a short time to soften them up. Salt and pepper to taste, and it's a lovely side!
). Joking aside, Greenland has all the ingredients to “become great,” so why doesn’t it? Why does entertainment in Nuuk seem to boil down to drunk monster-truck driving down the one main street? (By the way, that’s not correct — that’s Reykjavík, in Iceland, I heard...)
