Heritage brands are manifestations of a typical consumption culture. The power of a heritage brand does not come from the duration of its existence, but from its ability to establish a strong connection with the customer over long periods of time. Heritage brands have always enjoyed a good amount of both market share and profit share. This article attempts to highlight the reasons for a brand to stay longer in the market and also to find out the reasons for their withering away. The article looks at both American and Chinese heritage brands to find out what makes American heritage brands reinvent themselves and Chinese brands fade away in the face of competition.

There is an ongoing debate about what constitutes a heritage brand. People are of the opinion that heritage brands have a longer history of existence than ordinary brands in a country/market. However, we can refute this opinion using human nature as an example. Most of us remain strongly attached to our loved ones who have passed away. This strong attachment comes not because they have lived for a certain period of years, but because we are grateful to them for having enriched our lives in different ways. Similarly, some brands survive and excel because they are able to develop a strong connection with consumers. They are able to reconnect and reassure a set of values and benefits to a consumer everytime he decides to buy these products over the others available in the market. The number of years in existence alone does not qualify a brand to become a heritage brand.

Let us take a specific look at the cultural context in which heritage brands are built and assimilated into our systems. Great people have cults and fan following built around them, so also great brands build a loyal set of consumers, a community to advocate in favor of the brand. Brands have become pervasive in modern society. Culture is the manifestation of a way of living. Every culture has a material and non-material component. The non-material component of a consumption culture is the way people use products and services for satisfaction. It's the ritual followed for consumption processes. The material component of a consumption culture is the set of products, brands and non-physical symbols consumed by masses. A brand is an example of the material component of a culture. It becomes a heritage brand when it goes beyond this material level and becomes part of a ritual and a symbol of non-material culture. The brand assimilates itself in the consumption process of the society and represents the heritage of the country. There are other authors who have defined a brand's identity based on `country of origin effects'. A brand's heritage is built in the context of the heritage of that country from which it originates.

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