Together with Prof. Martin Eisend, DCR visiting researcher Farid Tarrahi worked on a project about the effects of counterfeiting branded products. They meta-analyzed 108 independent studies to come to the conclusion that experience with counterfeit products makes buyers more likely to purchase counterfeits than the genuine article. Hence, they conclude that counterfeiting likely harms rather than benefits genuine products.
With an eye to reducing the negative impact of counterfeits, the meta-analysis also analyzes how marketing activities can reduce the number of purchase experiences consumers have with counterfeit products. Furthermore, the findings show that by raising consumers’ awareness of the lower quality of counterfeit products and by adjusting the price advantage of counterfeit products, companies can considerably reduce counterfeit purchasing behavior.
Article
Martin Eisend and Farid Tarrahi (2019), "Does Counterfeiting Benefit or Harm Original Products? A Meta-analytic Investigation", Journal of Marketing Behavior: Vol. 3: No. 4, pp 293-333. http://dx.doi.org/10.1561/107.00000057