Visually communicating brand heritage on social media: champagne on Instagram

Purpose This paper aims to investigate how the abstract marketing concept of brand heritage is operationalized through visual elements on social media. Design/methodology/approach A mixed-methods approach combines interviews with marketing experts, a focus group with specialized academics, an open coding of Instagram images and the systematic coding of 800 images of eight champagne brands (company-generated content). Findings The study identifies 20 brand heritage codes (e.g. groupings of brand heritage visual cues with homogenous meanings). These codes are combined in three different factors (brand symbols, product legacy and consumption rituals) that discriminate between brands. Research limitations/implications The paper offers a description of what brand heritage looks like in practice. This visual operationalization of brand heritage is based on a single category, a limitation that further research can address. The results also contribute to research on visual brand identity and provide practical insights for the management of brand heritage at the product brand level. Originality/value This paper bridges the gap between the strategic management of brand heritage as a resource and the way it is concretely made available to the consumers.