Learning from the Dead: Investigating how to resolve today’s branding conundrums using insights from yesterday’s brands

Brands are facing up to a serious collapse in consumer confidence that is having an increasingly detrimental effect on the trust that people place in brands and this paper explores how organisations can build consumer engagement and affinity through establishing the conditions for a shared narrative. A real gap exists in understanding what conditions must be in place to enable practitioners to rewire this relationship. By evaluating a deceased brand, The Hacienda Club, the paper contests that it is vitally important to learn from the past, in order to really understand the future. The case study data collection method was qualitative and via in-depth interviews and focus groups. The research uncovered a number of foundational disconnect factors and potential drivers that could build an emotive shared narrative between consumers and brands resulting in greater emotional connectivity. The paper concludes with an original model "the Lore of the Brand" illustrating how narrative can build, flourish and thrive and centres on the ideals of openness, establishing momentum for shared narrative and providing content for broader consumer-to-consumer dialogue. The paper provides guidance for practitioners in today's fluid marketplace and insights to ensure brands are constantly in-tune with the zeitgeist of an ever-evolving consumer.