What to Read Next
If you want to go deeper, start with John M. T. Balmer, the key author in corporate heritage research. His work on the British monarchy explains why heritage brands connect past, present and future (Balmer, 2011). His paper on heritage marketing and communication is the best overview of how companies actually manage heritage (Balmer, 2013).
Other good starting points:
- Urde et al. (2007): where the idea of brand heritage was first defined.
- Rindell et al. (2015): how consumers see heritage, which is often different from what the company intends.
- Brunninge (2023): what happens when companies invent their heritage.
My Take: Classic, Icon, Legend
In my research, brands often called their products “classic”, “iconic” or “legendary” – in about 29% of the posts I analysed. I see these three words as steps on one path.
- A classic has a timeless form that hardly changes over time (Casto & DeLong, 2019). Think of the proportions of the Porsche 911.
- An icon becomes a meaningful symbol for a cultural group (Amaral, 2009). Think of Air Jordan sneakers in basketball culture.
- A legend lives on in stories shared by the brand, its ambassadors and its community (Bankov, 2018).
In my view, a classic comes before an icon, and a legend is the top of this hierarchy: it combines the long life of a classic with the cultural meaning of an icon. The catch: a brand cannot make itself iconic or legendary – the community has to agree. A classic needs almost no outside approval, which may be why brands use this word most often.
What I Found in My Research
I analysed 105 Instagram posts by BMW, Porsche, Volkswagen, Adidas and Sennheiser and surveyed 122 people. A few findings that could be useful for anyone working with heritage:
- Technology is almost missing from heritage posts, even though four of the five brands make high-tech products.
- Most comments are emotional support, often just emojis (46%). Real co-creation, such as ideas or constructive criticism, is rare.
- People react more critically to innovation posts than to heritage posts (11% vs 5%). So it helps to show innovation as part of the brand’s history.
- 70% of respondents would feel more loyal if a brand noticed or reposted their content.
About This Guide
This guide is based on my master thesis in International Corporate Communication and Media Management at Neu-Ulm University of Applied Sciences. It is also my own SEO case study: I built it to learn how to turn academic research into content that people actually find and read. By the way, this is my first website.
About Me
I’m Alexey. I studied International Corporate Communication and Media Management (MA) at Neu-Ulm University of Applied Sciences, where I focused on heritage branding and brand communication on social media. My main areas are corporate communication and heritage branding, and I’m currently building skills in community management, targeted advertising and SEO. I speak English, German and Russian.
I’m currently looking for an entry-level role in brand communication or digital marketing – and this guide is a good example of how I work.
Work With Me
If you’re hiring for a role like this or think I could help your team, fill in the form below and I’ll get back to you. You can also write to me at for.alex.korolev@gmail.com.