Why would anyone come to Corfu to have a Heineken?

Melewar, TC and Skinner, Heather ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6505-8073 (2020) Why would anyone come to Corfu to have a Heineken? Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal, 23 (4). pp. 891-906. ISSN 1352-2752

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Abstract

This paper examines brand naming decisions, along with other management decisions that affect tourist experiences, such as visitor tours, and souvenir appropriation, in the context of a microbrewery located on a Greek island that remains heavily dependent upon tourism. Data were gathered from in-depth interviews with the microbrewery’s owner and senior management team to offer rich insights into the issues under investigation. Findings stress the importance of the meanings that can be conveyed through brand names, including those that indicate authenticity of the brand’s origin, filling previously identified gaps in the literature on Country Of Origin with regard to fast consuming goods, and low involvement products such as beer, and exploring the issue of experiential consumption of beer as part of the tourists’ vacation experience. Data were gathered from only a single company, and although highlighting important managerial decisions regarding brand naming, further research could be widened to other companies and other industries, and could explore these issues from the tourists own perspective rather than solely from a managerial perspective. Results may offer insights for local producers, particularly SMEs, whose markets serve both domestic and tourist consumers. This research furthers knowledge into gaps on a range of issues arising in the literature that have hitherto not been previously linked, specifically: product Country Of Origin / brand origin; cultural consumption of beverages and sense of place; issues of authenticity; souvenirs; and experiential consumption.