Conceptualising the inﬂuence of corporate image on country image Carmen Lopez Brunel Business School, Brunel University, London, UK, and Manto Gotsi and Constantine Andriopoulos Cardiff Business School, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK Abstract Purpose – The aim of this paper is to examine the inﬂuence of corporate image on shaping the image of its country of origin (hereafter country image). Design/methodology/approach – The authors develop a conceptual framework and a series of propositions, grounded on previous studies on country of origin (COO), image transfer, corporate and place branding. Findings – The framework proposes that the inﬂuence of corporate image on country image can be moderated by four individual (country familiarity, corporate familiarity, brand image ﬁt and corporate brand category-country brand image ﬁt) and two corporate level variables (international visibility and market visibility). Research limitations/implications – A series of propositions is offered that aims to stimulate empirical research in this topical subject. Originality/value – Despite increasing acknowledgement of the inﬂuence that the image of corporations may exert on the image of their COO, this relationship has been under-researched. This paper draws insights from theoretical and empirical studies to shed some light on this area. A framework is presented which transcends previous corporate image formation models by looking at the other way of the relationship between corporate image and country image. Keywords Corporate image, Country image, Conceptual model, Country of origin Paper type Conceptual paper Introduction The effect of country of origin (COO) on product image has been extensively studied in the COO literature, and recently attention has also been placed on the inﬂuence of the COO on corporate image (e.g. Bernstein, 1984; Balmer and Gray, 2000). Yet the other side of the relationship, i.e. the inﬂuence that corporate image can wield on the image of the COO (hereafter, country image) has rarely been researched. Filling this gap is important, both in relation to theory and practice. Scholars note that when corporate communication activities endorse a link between the corporate brand and its COO, associations are likely to transfer from the corporate image to the image that individuals hold for the COO (Dowling, 1994; Olins, 1999; Anholt, 2000; Dowling, 2001; Van Ham, 2001; Cervin ˜o, 2002; Melewar and Bains, 2002; Anholt, 2003; Keller, 2003; Balabanis and Diamantopoulos, 2008; Dinnie, 2008). Anholt (2000; 2003), for instance, argues that the image that an individual holds of a corporate brand may improve or even change the image of its COO. However, our understanding of this inﬂuence remains limited and emphasis on theory development is therefore necessary (Dinnie, 2008). Focussing on practice, governments are, more than ever before, concerned about managing the image of their countries (Van Ham, 2001) to enable differentiation, and The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at www.emeraldinsight.com/0309-0566.htm Conceptualising the inﬂuence of corporate image 1601 Received February 2009 Revised October 2009 Accepted October 2009 European Journal of Marketing Vol. 45 No. 11/12, 2011 pp. 1601-1641 q Emerald Group Publishing Limited 0309-0566 DOI 10.1108/03090561111167315