Intergenerational Capital: A Strategic Lever to Enhance Consumer-Brand Relationships

This research investigates how the transmission of culinary practices influences the consumer– brand relationship. Recognizing the significance of intergenerational transmissions for consumers and their implications for brands (Moore et al., 2002), we draw upon the theoretical frameworks of intergenerational capital (Guillemot, 2018) and consumer-brand relationship (Fournier, 1998). Our aim is to determine to what extent intergenerational transmissions enrich the consumer–brand relationship. An experimental study (N = 320) with two brand types (Kessous and Chalamon, 2014) and three intergenerational capital representations (Ladwein et al., 2009) demonstrates that the consumer–brand relationship varies. We propose an integrative model. Our findings show the benefits of a positioning strategy centered on intergenerational capital, offering recommendations for marketing practitioners on brand types and implications (cognitive, conative, affective). This approach offers brands sustainable differentiation by integrating into family dynamic and enabling the materialization of transmitted family practices (Kessous et al., 2015).