Exploring the motivations behind a global brand consumer culture

: a netnographic study of Corona Extra consumers

Abstract

Nowadays, consumers are no longer seeking for the functional benefits of buying a good or service. This change in consumer behavior can be observed in the beer industry where consumers are driven towards beers that create a unique and memorable drinking experience. A review of the literature reveals that companies who want to successfully make their brands perform beyond their functional role should engage in sensory or experiential marketing. In the current beer market, brands are trying to differentiate by enhancing the sensorial dimensions of beer enjoyment. Therefore, the present dissertation aims to understand the motives and attitudes of the consumer culture of the beer brand Corona Extra. A netnography approach was used to explore and collect data from Corona Extra consumers in online communities. Results shows that marketing influence and the sensory and experiential attributes of the beer are the success factors which motivate consumers into drinking Corona Extra. Surprisingly, despite the brand being popular and successful, it was observed that consumers constantly mark out feeling discouraged from drinking Corona Extra in online communities. Discouragement was expressed mainly about the criticism and negative stereotyping that consumers who like Corona Extra must face in online communities. Also, consumers disclose dissatisfaction regarding some intrinsic attributes, package and price of Corona Extra. These findings allowed to develop managerial implications regarding new product development, communications and online strategies for the brand Corona Extra.

Date of Award	31 Jan 2020
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Pedro Luís Lopes de Oliveira (Supervisor)