Julien Couder

Composition of the Jury

Abstract

Terroir is the unique combination of a limited geographical area, possessing its own distinct characteristics and a particular culture, along with the know-how of its inhabitants. As such, it symbolizes a history, the people who live there, typical products, and so on. Terroir products are currently fashionable, as evidenced by the 1,250 trademarks registered with the INPI (French National Institute of Industrial Property) that include the word "terroir." This success stems from the very nature of these products, archetypes of postmodern consumption and tribal and experiential marketing (Fort and Fort, 2006; Charters et al., 2017). Despite this success, some lament the lack of research investigating the specificities of terroir (e.g., Charters et al., 2017). Thus, consumers' perception of this place remains poorly understood, and no studies have investigated terroir's capacity to foster brand loyalty. This doctoral research aims to answer the following question: Does the perception of a product's terroir of origin foster brand relationships? Through the implementation of an original qualitative methodology and advanced statistical analyses, this work has allowed us to specify the consumer's perception of terroir. It has also enabled us to propose a causal model, adapted from the BRQ model of Nyffeneger et al. (2015), specifying the capacity of terroir to foster brand relationships, whether cognitive or affective. We have also demonstrated the central role of perceived authenticity, product design, and the psychological distance between the respondent and the place in the creation of these relationships. Finally, we show that the relationship with a terroir brand enhances the brand experience.

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