7. We noted in this chapter that consumers often use country-of-origin as a heuristic to judge a product. Sometimes this tendency can backfire: While one study found that around the world, "the Golden Arches are now more widely recognized than the Christian cross," the strong link between McDonald's and the United States has been a liability for the food chain in recent years. As antiwar protests in many countries give vent to raw anti-American sentiment, the familiarity of McDonald's has made it a widespread target. In Quito, Ecuador, protesters burned a Ronald McDonald statue. In Paris, demonstrators smashed a McDonald's restau- rant window. South Korean activists calling for an end to the war sought attention by scaling a McDonald's sign. Other McDonald's outlets in Karachi and in Buenos Aires have been ringed with police officers to stave off trouble. Should a company that takes credit for its association with its country-of-origin in good times have to take its lumps in bad times? What steps can marketers take to avoid these problems?