The Impact of Modern Business Disruption on Heritage Brands: A Resiliency Model for the Packaged Food Product Industry

Abstract

Heritage Brands of packaged food products have been used as a superficial and ambiguous marketing promotions moniker. The study first tested consumer insights in successfully identifying heritage brands from non-heritage brands to formally establish the parameters and specific advantages of heritage brands. Second is the measure of heritage brands' strength in comparison to non-heritage brands under the light Main Brand Themes of Kevin Lane Keller, namely a) Brand Pleasure and Pain, b) Loyalty and Attachment, c) Relevance and Distinctiveness all against the backdrop of Modern Business Disruptions as the mediating variables. The study employed mixed methods using Grounded theory as a validating instrument necessary to create a list of actual and verified heritage brands under established parameters. Then it used Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) to test and evaluate the main brand themes relative to the heritage brands and modern business disruption. The respondents of the study were 256 individuals aged 21 years and above and currently residing in 16 cities and a lone municipality of Metro Manila. Results show that eleven (11) heritage brands are firmly identified from other categories of Packaged Food Product brands in the market. Likewise, through SEM, heritage brands faired significantly better than non-heritage brands for Brand Pleasure and Pain with a t-statistic of 3.0762, for Loyalty and Attachment with a t-statistic of 4.277, and finally, for Relevance and Distinctiveness with a t-statistic of 10.473. Based on the insights gathered, there is an observed consumer insight consensus towards the ability of heritage brands to retain their preferential status and immunity from modern business disruption in terms of main brand themes, which would otherwise decrease consumer adhesion. Keywords: Heritage Brand, Modern Business Disruption, Packaged Food Product, Brand Resilience, Main Brand Themes