What is it about?
Brand meaning is an important concept in branding. Brands can have both tangible attributes ( e.g. functional and sensorial) and intangible associations ( e.g. psychological, sub-cultural and cultural) and much attention has been given to the latter. I explore the tangible attributes and how these combine with the intangible associations to create brand meaning within local food brands.
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Photo by Zoe Schaeffer on Unsplash
Why is it important?
This study shows that tangible attributes can make an important contribution to brand meaning and have meaning in their own right. For example the taste and texture (sensorial) of locally produced cheese brands, creates meaning for consumers. Similarly the animal welfare of the goats and cows producing the milk (functional) is also meaningful. Tangible attributes can provide a foundation for the intangible associations (e.g. doing good leads to feeling good) creating a hierarchical structure. Alternatively a flatter interwoven pattern may emerge.
Perspectives
I hope this article may be of interest to local food brand practitioners who can promote relevant sensorial (e.g. smell) and functional (e.g. low food miles) attributes. These can be woven into appropriate intangible associations, creating narratives that appeal to consumers' emotions. These stories can then be communicated through websites and social media campaigns.
Dr Jill Quest
Bournemouth University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Developing brand meaning theory: the interplay of tangible attributes and intangible associations in relation to local food brands, European Journal of Marketing, July 2023, Emerald,
DOI: 10.1108/ejm-07-2021-0529.
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