Cues of wine authenticity and “Guanxi” marketing. A study of the perception of the rioja wine brand in Taiwan

Abstract

[EN] The use of authenticity in branding and strategic marketing has long been recognized as a valuable source in academic literature. However, some researchers also see the concept of authenticity as a connection point between the brand’s name, loyalty, trust and premium price and the consumers’ beliefs and perceptions. Market trends and marketers are driving to authenticity – meaning real, genuine products of verifiable origin – as a simple way of impressing the role of marketing and advertising. This paper examines whether the authenticity of a wine brand from northern Spain, namely the Rioja wine, has an impact on the Taiwanese society or not. In our research, we have discovered that Taiwanese society is based upon guanxi connections. These connections help to build blocks of good relationships and trust. However, after conducting qualitative and quantitative studies, we did not find the Rioja wines to possess attributes of an authentic product in the Taiwanese environment. Different factors and changeable perceptions of the Taiwanese society have all strong influence when forming opinions of what is authentic for each individual or a community of people. This paper analyses the extrinsic and intrinsic cues and indexical and iconic attributes such as brand image, brand trust, loyalty and premium price - that are considered by the Taiwanese society as very important when purchasing premium wines.