The corporate heritage brand paradox: Managing the tension between continuity and change in luxury brands

Abstract

Corporate heritage brands embrace the seemingly contradictory concepts of continuity and change. This tension between constancy and change represents a core paradox. Brand management must maintain the allure and magic of a corporate brand while concurrently being relevant. Scholars suggests that paradoxes ‘require resolution’ if a corporate brand is to be successful. Yet, how brand management can strategically manage conflicting brand elements remains convoluted. Thus, through qualitative enquiry, we examine the management of heritage brand paradox in the context of luxury corporate heritage brands. The three cases Paspaley, the Huka Lodge and Percy Marks, offer evidence supporting the resolution of brand paradox through strategic brand management. The study provides insight into how management can remain true to the brand’s authentic core and innovatively extend the brand’s heritage, developing a three-part strategic luxury brand-heritage management framework. The framework enhances understanding of the paradox between brand heritage and innovation, as well as resolving the paradox. Additionally, the study develops three specific brand guidelines for managing the brand paradox. Our principal contribution is demonstrating how corporate heritage brands, in the luxury category, change but appear to stay the same - how to remain constant yet relevant.

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