Customer perception of brands' heritage : synthesis and perspectives

This article looks at of what marketing has produced regarding the way consumers engage with brand heritage. The literature review shows how marketing scholars take the heritage discourse and analyses the way the message is communicated to external audiences, if they accept it or not, and what effects it has on their broad relation to the company. Then, the first part of the paper clarifies the distinction in brand heritage literature between the focus on the corporate brand and the focus on the marketing mix and its perception by consumers. The second part defines brand heritage as it is perceived by consumers, while the third examines protocols and, most particularly, scales that facilitate the measurement of brand heritage percep- tion. The fourth part reviews the known consequences of brand heritage perception. Finally, the conclusion lists avenues for further research. [Publisher's Text].