Consumer perspectives of cultural branding: the case of Burberry in Taiwan

Luxury brands are cultural phenomena forged by marketing efforts and country image. Yet although many Western luxury brands have iconic status among Asian consumers, the intertwining relationship between these two factors requires further clarification because the influence of local context is often lacking from considerations of such products. The study entailed 31 in-depth interviews with Taiwanese respondents during a 6-month data-gathering period in premium shopping centres in Taipei and Kaohsiung. An interpretive approach to their discourse was adopted for transcript analysis. The findings differentiated two sources of Burberry's brand meaning. One is based on the company's history, designs and marketing campaigns, whereas the other draws on Britain's cultural attractiveness. The research revealed that although this latter approach to branding can be a key appeal for consumers, it inevitably leads to a certain loss of control of the brand image. Most critically, consumers of luxury brands identified that a cultural brand, although consisting of country image and marketing efforts, is incomplete without acknowledging the consumer's ability to negotiate the meaning of luxury brands. Lesson learned from this research can enrich current branding literature and practice, especially for international luxury brands.