Resumo

Co-branding has been getting increased attention from both academics and practitioners due to the expected benefits it provides. One of the sectors that demand further research is the luxury market.

This article aims at tackling this gap in the literature, by offering a study on co-branding strategy in the luxury hotel market. The article combines the main contributions on co-branding, brand strategy and luxury marketing literature in order to provide a conceptual framework that resulted in the proposal of three research questions.

Co-branding practices have been increasingly adopted by practitioners in several areas, including advertising, luxury market, products, and retail stores (e.g., Abratt & Motlana, 2002; Dahlstrom & Dato-on, 2004; Moon & Sprott, 2016), and also in the hospitality sector. These partnerships support both differentiation and positioning, thus being essential to select strong and well-known partner brands, and simultaneously to consider image, quality, brand equity and loyalty (Guillet & Tasci, 2012).

A qualitative study was conducted with a luxury wine hotel and its wine brand partners, based on the content analysis of 14 interviews with Hotel's representatives and wine brand managers.

Results suggest that the perceived advantages are positively associated with brand equity, and provide other interesting insights on luxury co-branding.

The study provide evidence that co-branding represent benefits for both parties. It details the reasons for adopting co-branding, partners’ selection attributes, and effects on brand image and positioning.

Abratt, R., & Motlana, P. (2002). Managing co-branding strategies: Global brands into local markets. Business Horizons, 45(5), 43-50. Balmer, J. M. T., & Greyser, S. A. (2002). Managing the multiple identities of the corporation. California Management Review, 43(3), 72-86. Belk, R.W. (1988). Possessions and the Extended Self, Journal of Consumer Research, 15(Sept), 139-168. Boone, J. M. (1997). Hotel-restaurant co-branding: A preliminary study. Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, 38(5), 34-43. Brennan, R., Canning, L., & McDowell, R. (2014). Business-to-Business Marketing