250 | 30, pp. 249-263 | doxa.comunicación

January-June of 2020

The construction of intangible values in craft beer brands. Attributes immersed in communications

ISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978

1. Introduction

The research of intangible values (IV) has been a relevant subject for the fields of communication and marketing due to its importance in the construction of corporate image and corporate identity in brands. In addition, from this perspective of brand building, the evaluation process that consumers make upon the I.V. can be understood more clearly. On the basis of this information, the present study makes an inquiry about the construction of I.V. in craft beer brands and aims to gain an insight into a matter that is of significant interest, not only because it has not been explored previously in depth and there is insufficient literature on the subject, but also from the point of view of corporations and the attitudes of consumers.

In Colombia, an analysis of the communicative strategies in craft beer brands has not been carried out, nor has a study on the social representations and cultural constructions of the I.V. from the emission of the brand and the consumers’ perceptions.

Therefore, for the understanding of the generation process of intangible values released by brands and the way consumers perceive them, it is necessary to comprehend associated concepts such as identity, image, and communicative strategy.

1.1. Brand identity

The definition of brand identity is related to the act of communicating through a multiplicity of signs, messages and products, emanating from a single transmitter (Kapferer, 1992; Elizondo, Bouchard & Favart, 2016; Apolo, Báez, Pauker & Pasquel, 2017).

Nevertheless some authors support that identity is a much more complicated concept and goes far beyond that, claiming that “a brand is also far more than the name, logo, symbol or trademark that highlights its origin; it is imbued with a set of unique values that defines its character” (Slade, 2016: 12). Here, the author highlights the importance of having clarity of those values that make the brand unique.

on the concepts of identity, image and intangible values of brands. Among the most important results, it can be highlighted that craft beer responds to a new segment as a result of new collective imagery and communicative strategies around the craft. Furthermore, the most relevant intangible values perceived by brand users revolve around trust, innovation, pride, among others. This research demonstrates the importance of intangible values, especially in the communication and construction of a correct brand image.

Keywords:

Intangible values; identity; brand image; craft beer; communicative strategy; microbreweries; imaginary; brand construction

fundamentan desde los conceptos de identidad, imagen y valores intangibles de marca. Dentro de los resultados más importantes se puede destacar que la cerveza artesanal responde a un nuevo segmento como resultado de nuevas estrategias comunicativas e imaginarios alrededor de lo artesanal. Además, los valores intangibles más relevantes que perciben los usuarios de las marcas giran alrededor de la confianza, la innovación, el orgullo, entre otros. Mediante esta investigación se demuestra la importancia que tienen los valores intangibles, especialmente en la comunicación y en la construcción de una correcta imagen de marca.

Palabras claves:

Valores intangibles; identidad; imagen; cerveza artesanal; estrategia comunicativa; microcervecerías; imaginarios; construcción de marca