Uncovering the sources of brand authenticity in the digital era: evidence from an Italian winery
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7433/s111.2020.11Keywords:
Brand authenticity; wine brand; digital era; brand ecosystem; sustainability; coopetition; ItalyAbstract
Purpose of the paper: The purpose of this study is to explore the sources of brand authenticity of a well-known Italian vineyard through the digital age lens and an organizational perspective.
Design/methodology/approach. This study adopted a qualitative single case study design. Antonelli San Marco, an Italian brand with an estate located in Montefalco was selected. Eleven interviews with members of the family who own and manage the business, as well as their employees, were conducted. After transcribing and translating the interviews when needed, they were coded and their content analysed.
Findings. Findings confirmed the dimensions of brand authenticity of previous studies in the wine industry. This study also confirmed the objective, subjective, and existential sources of brand authenticity from previous research. Remarkably, the existential source, which was traditionally linked to integrity elements, emerged here as the result of Antonelli’s care for the brand ecosystem, including people, the terroir and the entire location. In addition, a new category of brand authenticity was found, in relation to a brand’s competitive side, to be fundamental in competing in the digital age and focused on the importance of narrating the real brand story while engaging in collaborative relationships and carefully managing eco-capabilities, technological skills, and digital capabilities.
Originality/value. The framework that is presented in this paper provides an original view on wine brand authenticity from a managerial standpoint, highlighting new challenges that must be faced to successfully compete in the digital era while maintaining brand authenticity over time and across diverse stakeholders.
References
AITKEN R., CAMPELO A. (2011), “The four Rs of place branding”, Journal of Marketing Management, vol. 27, n. 9-10, pp. 913-933.
AKBAR M.M., WYMER W. (2016), “Refining the conceptualization of Brand Authenticity”, Journal of Brand Management, vol. 24, n. 1, pp. 14-32.
ALEXANDER N. (2009), “Brand authentication: Creating and maintaining brand auras”, European Journal of Marketing, vol. 43, n. 3/4, pp. 551-562.
ALHOUTI S., JOHNSON C.M., HOLLOWAY B.B. (2016), “Corporate social responsibility authenticity: Investigating its antecedents and outcomes”, Journal of Business Research, vol. 69, n. 3, pp. 1242-1249.
ASSIOURAS I., LIAPATI G., KOULETSIS G., KONIORDOS M. (2015), “The impact of brand authenticity on brand attachment in the food industry”, British Food Journal, vol. 117, n. 2, pp. 538-552.
BALLANTYNE R., WARREN A., NOBBS, K. (2006), “The evolution of brand choice”, Journal of Brand Management, vol. 13, n. 4-5, pp. 339-352.
BECKMAN T., COLWELL A., CUNNINGHAM P.H. (2009), “The emergence of corporate social responsibility in Chile: The importance of authenticity and social networks”, Journal of Business Ethics, vol. 86, n. 2, pp. 191.
BENGTSSON M., KOCK S., LUNDGREN-HENRIKSSON E.L., NÄSHOLM M.H. (2016), “Coopetition research in theory and practice: Growing new theoretical, empirical, and methodological domains”, Industrial Marketing Management, vol. 57, pp. 4-11.
BENGTSSON M., KOCK, S. (2014), “Coopetition-Quo vadis? Past accomplishments and future challenges”, Industrial Marketing Management, vol. 43, n. 2, pp. 180-188.
BERNAL-JURADO E., MOZAS-MORAL A., FERNÁNDEZ-UCLÉS D., MEDINA-VIRUEL M.J. (2017), “Explanatory factors for efficiency in the use of social networking sites-The case of organic food products”, Psychology and Marketing, vol. 34, n. 12, pp. 1119-1126.
BEVERLAND M., LUXTON S. (2005), “Managing integrated marketing communication (IMC) through strategic decoupling: How luxury wine firms retain brand leadership while appearing to be wedded to the past”, Journal of Advertising, vol. 34, n. 4, pp. 103-116.
BEVERLAND M.B. (2005a), “Crafting Brand Authenticity: The Case of Luxury Wines”, Journal of Management Studies, vol. 42, n. 5, pp. 1002-1029.
BEVERLAND M.B. (2005b), “Brand management and the challenge of authenticity”, Journal of Product and Brand Management, vol. 14, n. 7, pp. 460-461.
BEVERLAND M.B. (2006), “The ‘real thing’: Branding authenticity in the luxury wine trade”, Journal of Business Research, vol. 59, n. 2, pp 251-258.
BEVERLAND M.B., FARRELLY F., QUESTER P.G. (2010), “Authentic subcultural membership: Antecedents and consequences of authenticating acts and authoritative performances”, Psychology and Marketing, vol. 27, n. 7, pp. 698-716.
BEVERLAND M.B., FARRELLY F.J. (2010), “The quest for authenticity in consumption: Consumers’ purposive choice of authentic cues to shape experienced outcomes”, Journal of Consumer Research, vol. 36, n. 5, pp. 838-856.
BEVERLAND M.B., LINDGREEN A., VINK M.W. (2008), “Projecting authenticity through advertising: Consumer judgments of advertisers’ claims”, Journal of Advertising, vol. 37, n. 1, pp. 5-15.
BROWN S., KOZINETS R.V., SHERRY, J.F. (2003), “Teaching old brands new tricks: Retro branding and the revival of brand meaning”, Journal of Marketing, vol. 67, n. 3, pp. 19-33.
BRUHN M., SCHOENMÜLLER V., SCHÄFER D., HEINRICH D. (2012), “Brand authenticity: Towards a deeper understanding of its conceptualization and measurement”, Advances in Consumer Research, vol. 40, pp. 567-576.
CAMICIOTTOLI B.C., RANFAGNI S., GUERCINI S. (2014), “Exploring brand associations: An innovative methodological approach”, European Journal of Marketing, vol. 48, n. 5-6, pp. 1092-1112.
CAMPBELL C., PITT L.F., PARENT M., BERTHON P.R. (2011), “Understanding Consumer Conversations Around Ads in a Web 2.0 World”, Journal of Advertising, vol. 40, n. 1, pp. 87-102.
CARSANA L., JOLIBERT A. (2018), “Influence of iconic, indexical cues, and brand schematicity on perceived authenticity dimensions of private-label brands”, Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, vol. 40, pp. 213-220.
CHARMLEY R., GARRY T., BALLANTINE P.W. (2013), “The inauthentic other: Social comparison theory and brand avoidance within consumer sub-cultures”, Journal of Brand Management, vol. 20, n. 6, pp. 458-472.
CHEAH I., ZAINOL Z., PHAU I. (2016), “Conceptualizing country-of-ingredient authenticity of luxury brands”, Journal of Business Research, vol. 69, n. 12, pp. 5819-5826.
CHHABRA D., KIM E.G. (2018), “Brand authenticity of heritage festivals”, Annals of Tourism Research, vol. 68, pp. 55-57.
CHOI H., KO E., KIM E.Y., MATTILA P. (2015), “The role of fashion brand authenticity in product management: A holistic marketing approach”, Journal of Product Innovation Management, vol. 32, n. 2, pp. 233-242.
CHOU H.H., ZOLKIEWSKI J. (2018), “Coopetition and value creation and appropriation: The role of interdependencies, tensions and harmony”, Industrial Marketing Management, vol. 70, pp. 25-33
COLLINS M., WEISS M. (2015), “The role of provenance in luxury textile brands”, International Journal of Retail and Distribution Management, vol. 43, n. 10/11, pp. 1030-1050.
CORCIOLANI M. (2014), “How do authenticity dramas develop? An analysis of Afterhours fans’ responses to the band’s participation in the Sanremo music festival”, Marketing Theory, vol. 14, n. 2, pp. 185-206.
CZAKON W., CZERNEK K. (2016), “The role of trust-building mechanisms in entering into network coopetition: The case of tourism networks in Poland”, Industrial Marketing Management, vol. 57, pp. 64-74.
DANA L.P., GRANATA J., LASCH F., CARNABY A. (2013), “The evolution of co-opetition in the Waipara wine cluster of New Zealand”, Wine Economics and Policy, vol. 2, n. 1, pp. 42-49.
DANN S. (2010), “Redefining Social Marketing with Contemporary Commercial Marketing Definitions”, Journal of Business Research, vol. 63, pp. 147-153.
EGGERS F., O’DWYER M., KRAUS S., VALLASTER C., GÜLDENBERG S. (2013), “The impact of brand authenticity on brand trust and SME growth: A CEO perspective”, Journal of World Business, vol. 48, n. 3, pp. 340-348.
FINE G.A. (2003), “Crafting authenticity: The validation of identity in self-taught art”, Theory and Society, vol. 32, n. 2, pp. 153-180.
FLORES S.S. (2018), “What is sustainability in the wine world? A cross-country analysis of wine sustainability frameworks”, Journal of Cleaner Production, vol. 172, pp. 2301-2312.
FRITZ K., SCHOENMUELLER V., BRUHN M. (2017), “Authenticity in branding-exploring antecedents and consequences of brand authenticity”, European Journal of Marketing, vol. 51, n. 2, pp. 324-348.
GANDOMI A., HAIDER M. (2015), “Beyond the hype: Big data concepts, methods, and analytics”, International Journal of Information Management, vol. 35 n 2, pp. 137-144.
GIBBERT M., RUIGROK W., WICKI B. (2008), “What passes as a rigorous case study?”, Strategic Management Journal, vol. 29, n. 13, pp. 1465-1474.
GIRARDIN F., GUÈVREMONT A., MORHART F., GROHMANN B., MALAR L. (2013), “Brand authenticity: An integrative framework”, in AMA Winter Educators’ Conference Proceedings, 15-17 February.
GRAYSON K., MARTINEC R. (2004), “Consumer perceptions of iconicity and indexicality and their influence on assessments of authentic market offerings”, Journal of Consumer Research, vol. 31, n. 2, pp. 296-312.
GROVES A.M. (2001), “Authentic British food products: a review of consumer perceptions”, International Journal of Consumer Studies, vol. 25, n. 3, pp. 246-254.
GUÈVREMONT A., GROHMANN B. (2016), “The brand authenticity effect: situational and individual-level moderators”, European Journal of Marketing, vol. 50, n. 3/4, pp. 602-620.
GUNDLACH H., NEVILLE B. (2012), “Authenticity: Further theoretical and practical development”, Journal of Brand Management, vol. 19, n. 6, pp. 484-499.
HASSELBACH J.L., ROOSEN J. (2015), “Consumer heterogeneity in the willingness to pay for local and organic food”, Journal of Food Products Marketing, vol. 21, n. 6, pp. 608-625.
HOLT D.B. (2002), “Why do brands cause trouble? A dialectical theory of consumer culture and branding”, Journal of Consumer Research, vol. 29, n. 1, pp. 70-90.
IAIA L., SCORRANO P., FAIT M., CAVALLO F., (2017) “Wine, family businesses and web: marketing strategies to compete effectively”, British Food Journal, vol. 119, n. 11, pp. 2294-2308.
IAIA L., MAIZZA A., FAIT M., SCORRANO P. (2016), “Origin based agro-food products: how to communicate their experiential value online?”, British Food Journal, vol. 118, n. 8, pp. 1845-1856.
ILICIC J., WEBSTER C.M. (2014), “Investigating consumer-brand relational authenticity”, Journal of Brand Management, vol. 21, n. 4, pp.342-363.
ILICIC J., WEBSTER C.M. (2016), “Being true to oneself: Investigating celebrity brand authenticity”, Psychology and Marketing, vol. 33, n. 6, pp. 410-420.
KADIROV D. (2015), “Private labels ain’t bona fide! Perceived authenticity and willingness to pay a price premium for national brands over private labels”, Journal of Marketing Management, vol. 31, n. 17-18, pp. 1773-1798.
KATES S.M. (2004), “The dynamics of brand legitimacy: An interpretive study in the gay men’s community”, Journal of Consumer Research, vol. 31, n. 2, pp. 455-464.
KOWALCZYK C.M., POUNDERS K.R. (2016), “Transforming celebrities through social media: the role of authenticity and emotional attachment”, Journal of Product and Brand Management, vol. 25, n. 4, pp. 345-356.
KOZINETS R.V. (2001), “Utopian enterprise: Articulating the meanings of Star Trek’s culture of consumption”, Journal of Consumer Research, vol. 28, n. 1, pp. 67-88.
LALICIC L., WEISMAYER C. (2017), “The role of authenticity in Airbnb experiences”, Information and Communication Technologies in Tourism, pp. 781-794. Springer, Cham.
LATEGAN B.W., PENTZ C.D., DU PREEZ R. (2017), “Importance of wine attributes: a South African Generation Y perspective”, British Food Journal, vol. 119, n. 7, pp.1536-1546.
LEIGH T.W., PETERS C., SHELTON J. (2006), “The consumer quest for authenticity: The multiplicity of meanings within the MG subculture of consumption”, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, vol. 34, n. 4, pp. 481-493.
LEWIS G.K., BYROM J., GRIMMER M. (2015), “Collaborative marketing in a premium wine region: the role of horizontal networks”, International Journal of Wine Business Research, vol. 27, n. 3, pp. 203-219.
MAIZZA A., FAIT M., SCORRANO P., IAZZI A. (2019), “How knowledge sharing culture can become a facilitator of the sustainable development in the agrifood sector”, Sustainability, vol. 11, n. 4, pp. 1-15.
MAIZZA A., FAIT M., SCORRANO P., VRONTIS D. (2017), “Old, New and Third Wine Regions: a Consumer Perspective”, World Review of Entrepreneurship, Management and Sustainable Development, vol. 13, n. 5/6, pp. 521-541.
MANTHIOU A., KANG J., HYUN S.S., FU X.X. (2018), “The impact of brand authenticity on building brand love: An investigation of impression in memory and lifestyle-congruence”, International Journal of Hospitality Management, vol. 75, pp. 38-47.
MCSHANE L., CUNNINGHAM P. (2012), “To thine own self be true? Employees’ judgments of the authenticity of their organization’s corporate social responsibility program”, Journal of Business Ethics, vol. 108, n. 1, pp. 81-100.
MINGIONE M., BENDIXEN M., ABRATT R., PATTUGLIA S. (2017), “Antecedents and consequences of Brand Authenticity across generational cohorts”, XII Global Brand Conference, Kalmar, Sweden, 26-28th April.
MODY M., HANKS L. (2017), “Consumption authenticity in the age of the sharing economy: The key to creating loyal customers who love your brand”, Boston University Consumer Behavior in Hospitality Research Conference. Boston, MA.
MORHART F., MALÄR L., GUÈVREMONT A., GIRARDIN F., GROHMANN B. (2015), “Brand authenticity: An integrative framework and measurement scale”, Journal of Consumer Psychology, vol. 25, n. 2, pp. 200-218.
MOULARD J., BABIN B.J., GRIFFIN M. (2015a), “How aspects of a wine’s place affect consumers’ authenticity perceptions and purchase intentions: The role of country of origin and technical terroir”, International Journal of Wine Business Research, vol. 27, n. 1, pp. 61-78.
MOULARD J.G., GARRITY C.P., RICE D.H. (2015b), “What makes a human brand authentic? Identifying the antecedents of celebrity authenticity”, Psychology and Marketing, vol. 32, n. 2, pp. 173-186.
MOULARD J.G., RAGGIO R.D., FOLSE J.A.G. (2016), “Brand authenticity: Testing the antecedents and outcomes of brand management’s passion for its products”, Psychology and Marketing, vol. 33, n. 6, pp. 421-436.
MOULARD J.G., RICE D.H., GARRITY C.P., MANGUS S.M. (2014), “Artist authenticity: How artists’ passion and commitment shape consumers’ perceptions and behavioral intentions across genders”, Psychology and Marketing, vol. 31, n. 8, pp. 576-590.
NAPOLI J., DICKINSON S.J., BEVERLAND M.B., FARRELLY F. (2014), “Measuring consumer-based brand authenticity”, Journal of Business Research, vol. 67, n. 6, pp. 1090-1098.
NAPOLI J., DICKINSON-DELAPORTE S., BEVERLAND M.B. (2016), “The brand authenticity continuum: strategic approaches for building value”, Journal of Marketing Management, vol. 32, n. 13-14, pp. 1201-1229.
PACE S. (2015), “Can a commercially oriented brand be authentic? A preliminary study of the effects of a pro-business attitude on consumer-based brand authenticity”, Journal of Applied Business Research, vol. 31, n. 3, pp.1167.
PATTUGLIA S., MINGIONE M. (2017), “Towards a new understanding of brand authenticity: seeing through the lens of Millennials”, Sinergie Italian Journal of Management, vol. 35, n. 103, pp. 35-55.
PORTAL S., ABRATT R., BENDIXEN M. (2018), “The role of brand authenticity in developing brand trust”, Journal of Strategic Marketing, DOI: 10.1080/0965254X.2018.1466828
POSTREL V. (2003), The Substance of Style: How the Rise of Aesthetic Value is Remaking Culture, Commerce, and Consciousness, HarperCollins, New York.
PREECE C. (2015), “The authentic celebrity brand: unpacking Ai Weiwei’s celebritised selves”, Journal of Marketing Management, vol. 31, n. 5-6, pp. 616-645.
PRONSCHINSKE M., GROZA M.D., WALKER M. (2012), “Attracting Facebook ‘fans’: the importance of authenticity and engagement as a social networking strategy for professional sport teams”, Sport Marketing Quarterly, vol. 21, n. 4, pp. 221.
PROWEIN BUSINESS REPORT (2019), “Climate Change changes the Global Wine Industry”, pp. 1-13. Accessed the 22 March, 2020, from: https://www.prowein.com/cgibin/md_prowein/lib/all/lob/return_download.cgi/ProWein_PM_Business_Report_2019_EN.pdf?ticket=g_u_e_s_t&bid=7035&no_mime_type=0
PUCCI T., CASPRINI E., NOSI C., ZANNI L. (2017), “Online buying intentions of wine consumers: The role of knowledge and social media”, in XXXVIII AIDEA (Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale) Annual Conference, Rome, 15 September, 14.
REISINGER Y., STEINER C.J. (2006), “Reconceptualizing Object Authenticity”, Annals of Tourism Research, vol. 33, n. 1, pp. 65-86.
ROE D., BRUWER J. (2017), “Self-concept, product involvement and consumption occasions: Exploring fine wine consumer behaviour”, British Food Journal, vol. 119, n. 6, pp. 1362-1377.
SAMUEL A., TAYLOR D., WHITE G.R., NORRIS M. (2018), “Unpacking the authenticity gap in corporate social responsibility: lessons learned from Levi’s ‘Go Forth Braddock’ campaign”, Journal of Brand Management, vol. 25, n. 1, pp. 53-67.
SHAMS R., ALPERT F., BROWN M. (2015), “Consumer perceived brand innovativeness: Conceptualization and operationalization”, European Journal of Marketing, vol. 49, n. 9-10, pp. 1589-1615.
SHIRDASTIAN H., LAROCHE M., RICHARD M.O. (2019), “Using big data analytics to study brand authenticity sentiments: The case of Starbucks on Twitter”, International Journal of Information Management, vol. 48, pp. 291-144.
SICCAMA C.J., PENNA S. (2008), “Enhancing Validity Of A Qualitative Dissertation Research Study By Using NVIVO”, Qualitative Research Journal, vol. 8, n. 2, pp. 91-103.
SIGGELKOW N. (2007), “Persuasion with case studies”, Academy of Management Journal, vol. 50, n. 1, pp. 20-24.
SIRIANNI N.J., BITNER M.J., BROWN S.W., MANDEL N. (2013), “Branded service encounters: Strategically aligning employee behavior with the brand positioning”, Journal of Marketing, vol. 77, n. 6, pp.108-123.
SMITH A.E., HUMPHREYS M.S. (2006), “Evaluation of Unsupervised Semantic Mapping of Natural Language with Concept Mapping”, Behavior Research Methods, vol. 38, n. 2, pp. 262-279.
SPIELMANN N., CHARTERS S. (2013), “The dimensions of authenticity in terroir products”, International Journal of Wine Business Research, vol. 25, n. 4, pp. 310-324.
STIEHLER B., TINSON J. (2015), “Opportunistic Luxury branding: Understanding perceptions of brand authenticity in an emerging market context”, The Journal of Global Business and Technology, vol. 11, n. 1, pp. 39-55.
SZOLNOKI G. (2013), “A cross-national comparison of sustainability in the wine industry”, Journal of Cleaner Production, vol. 53, pp. 243-251.
THOMPSON C.J., RINDFLEISCH A., ARSEL Z. (2006), “Emotional branding and the strategic value of the doppelgänger brand image”, Journal of Marketing, vol. 70, n. 1, pp. 50-64.
THYNE M., HEDE A.M. (2016), “Approaches to managing co-production for the co-creation of value in a museum setting: when authenticity matters”, Journal of Marketing Management, vol. 32, n. 15-16, pp. 1478-1493.
URDE M., GREYSER S.A., BALMER J.M. (2007), “Corporate brands with a heritage”, Journal of Brand Management, vol. 15, n. 1, pp. 4-19.
VAN DEN BOSCH A. L., DE JONG M.D., ELVING W.J. (2005), “How corporate visual identity supports reputation”, Corporate Communications: An International Journal, vol. 10, n. 2, pp. 108-116.
VARADARAJAN R. (2010), “Strategic marketing and marketing strategy: domain, definition, fundamental issues and foundational premises”, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, vol. 38, pp. 119-140
VOLSCHENK J., UNGERER M., SMIT E. (2016), “Creation and appropriation of socio-environmental value in coopetition”, Industrial Marketing Management, vol. 57(August), pp. 109-118.
WILK V., HARRIGAN P., SOUTAR G.N. (2018), “Navigating Online Brand Advocacy (OBA): an Exploratory Analysis”, Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, vol. 26, n. 1-2, pp. 99-116.
WYMER W., AKBAR M.M. (2017), “Brand authenticity, its conceptualization, and its relevance to nonprofit marketing”, International Review on Public and Nonprofit Marketing, vol. 14, n. 3, pp. 359-374.
WYMER W., AKBAR M.M. (2018), “Brand Authenticity’s Influence on Charity Support Intentions”, Journal of Nonprofit and Public Sector Marketing, vol. 31, n. 5, pp. 1-21.
YIN R.K. (1994), Case Study Research: Design and Methods, 2nd ed., Sage, Newbury Park, CA.
