ROSELLO Casseline - Branding - Final Paper - Breizh Cola

2017
BREIZH COLA – BRANDING A

REGIONAL BRAND
NATIONWIDE
BRANDING MK103_02 – FINAL PAPER – 2017

SUPERVISOR: LIONEL SITZ
STUDENT: ROSELLO CASSELINE
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Breizh Cola is a regional cola drink produced in Bretagne, with a sweet caramel flavor and
a funny personality that has swept over Bretagne, getting more market shares than Pepsi in the
region. The brand is a real success story since its launch in 2002, inspiring other regional cola
drinks in other regions of France. It is also the most successful one among these regional
beverages, which managed to get to Paris in 2013 and to get distributed in retail shops and
pancake houses all over the country.
Through successful distribution networking strategy and partnerships in local events in
Bretagne, the brand managed to become well-known and implanted in the region and the nearest
neighbors, and yet, Breizh Cola has a poor brand awareness in the other regions of France,
despite being available there.
This paper will reflect on the capability of a regional brand such as Breizh Cola to become
a nationwide product despite its roots in a specific culture, using a theoretical framework of
branding including among others: brand identity, brand image, brand territory, brand stretching,
brand personality and regional branding. Is a geographical extension strategy possible for a
regional product embedded in a local culture? If so, how? How is the extension perceived by
people from the birth region? By people who witness the arrival of this product in their regions?
Can such a product be successful outside of its birth region? How? Is there a threat of dilution
of the brand cultural identity?
Those are the main questions this paper will strive to answer, using a qualitative
methodology with interviews of Breton and non-Breton respondents and a netnography carried
out on some social media, the official website and another website where consumers give their
opinion about a product. Respondents are interviewed about their knowledge of Breizh Cola,
of their perception of its brand personality (identity, image), of their thoughts about the initiative
of a regional cola drink and on their perception of the extension strategy in France.
The findings show the discrepancies between the congruence of brand image and brand
identity between Bretons and non-Bretons, but also how most of respondents support the idea
of a regionally produced cola drink, despite reasons being sometimes very different and going
from regional cultural pride and development of local industry and economy to struggle against
Coca Cola’s monopoly. The threat of dilution of identity is tackled by respondents and
considered weak, and the chances of success of the product outside of Bretagne are considered
weak among other targets than Breton impatriates and Bretagne lovers, for different reasons.
Despite this pessimistic perspective, this paper notes that taken some considerations, Breizh
Cola could become a nationwide product but would need to change a few things.
KEYWORDS
Branding, regional branding, ethnic branding, brand identity, brand image, brand territory,
brand personality, brand reputation, brand community, brand stretching, stretchability, brand
extension strategy, Breizh Cola, Bretagne, cultural branding, cola drinks, sodas, Coca Cola,
Pepsi Cola.
1
AGENDA
1. Introduction p.4
2. Background – The case p.5
2.1. Cola drinks – The domination of a few international brands
2.2. Alternative cola drinks – A counterbalance of Coca Cola’s hegemony
2.3. Breizh Cola – A Breton regional product standing up to global brands
2.4. The arrival of Breizh Cola in Paris – The extension of a regional product
nationwide?
3. Theory and literature review p.10
3.1. What is a brand?
3.2. What is brand identity?
3.3. What is brand personality?
3.4. What is brand image?
3.5. What is brand reputation?
3.6. What is brand territory?
3.7. What is brand stretching?
3.8. What is brand community?
3.9. What is the relationship between brands and culture?
3.10. What is branding?
3.10.1. What is ethnic branding?
3.10.2. What is regional branding?
4. Methodology p.20
4.1. Research question and topic rationale
4.2. Research design and rationale
4.3. Data collection
4.3.1. Sample
4.3.2. Interviews
4.3.3. Netnography
2
4.4. Limitations
5. Results p.25
5.1. Breizh Cola’s brand identity
5.1.1. Bretagne
5.1.2. Fun
5.1.3. Challenger spirit
5.2. Breizh Cola’s brand image
5.2.1. For Breton people
5.2.2. For non-Breton people
5.3. Breizh Cola’s brand territory
5.4. Breizh Cola’s extension strategy
5.4.1. For Breton people
5.4.2. For non-Breton people
5.4.3. Breizh Cola’s legitimation discourse of brand extension
5.5. Other results
6. General discussion p.33
6.1. Discussion of results
6.2. Suggestions for further research
7. Conclusion p.36
Works cited p.38
Appendices p.41
Appendix 1 – Interview guide
Appendix 2 – Interview N°1 : Patrice
Appendix 3 – Interview N°2 : Corentin
Appendix 4 – Interview N°3 : Emmanuel
Appendix 5 – Interview N°4 : Aleksandra
Appendix 6 – Interview N°5: Sébastien
Appendix 7 – Interview N°6 : Grégoire
Appendix 8 – Screenshots and netnography results
Appendix 9 – Respondents’ image of Bretagne
3
1. INTRODUCTION
We all know big soda brands like Coca-Cola or Pepsi. Perhaps you also know about Virgin
Cola, but have you ever heard about Breizh Cola, the Breton cola born in 2002 which managed
to overtake Pepsi in the region of Bretagne and is challenging Coca-Cola? Breizh Cola is one
of many regional soft drinks that have emerged in the past decade in France, such as Elsass
Cola, Corsica Cola or Chtilà Cola, following a new trend that uses regional cultures and
identities to brand products in a differentiated and unique way or to stand up against
globalization. Breizh Cola is one of them, and is even the leader of the movement in France
among cola beverages, becoming a success story worth studying.
Regional branding is the key in their strategy: they have used elements of the regional
culture to associate the regional identity of Bretagne with their product, and have branded their
product in such a way that it has become a pride for Bretons and a part of their culture in 15
years. In 2013, they however started to expand outside of Bretagne, in Paris, to satisfy the
Breton impatriates living in the capital city, and are now to be found in several distribution
outlets in many places of France. However, Breton regional culture is not common with those
of the other regions of France, especially the strong identities from the peripheral regions
(Corsica, Alsace, Pays-Basque, Nord-Pas-De-Calais, Normandy…), which have also launched
their own cola drinks.
This raises the question of brand extension strategies in a geographical framework for
regional brands embedded in the local culture. Indeed, can a regional brand, produced and
historically distributed in its birth region, using the codes, symbols and other elements of the
local culture to speak to the hearts and minds of regional consumers, manage to extend itself to
the national market with success and without risking to fail to appeal to other consumers?
Consumption is different depending on the underlying cultural settings, which will bias the
consumers (Thompson, 2004)1, and when a brand is embedded in a specific culture to the extent
of using regional branding, it can become difficult for it to generalize itself and conquer the
national market. Crossing cultural borders can not only apply between countries, but also
sometimes within the same country when strong regional cultures co-exist.
This paper therefore intends to study brand extension strategies for regional brands, by
studying the specific case of Breizh Cola, which has strong local roots in Bretagne but managed
to go to Paris and is now trying to go nationwide. We will therefore investigate how Breizh
Cola managed to brand itself outside of Bretagne, and see how Bretons and non-Bretons react
to this extension strategy. More precisely, we will focus on answering the following research
questions:
1) How did Breizh Cola proceed to brand its regional product outside of Bretagne? How
did it legitimize this extension?
2) How is this extension of a very typical regional product perceived by Breton people?
3) How is this arrival of a very embedded regional product perceived by non-Breton
people? Can Breizh Cola be successful outside of Bretagne or will this product only
appeal to Breton impatriates?
1
THOMPSON, C.J. (2004), Beyond Brand Image: Analyzing the Culture of Brands, Advances in Consumer Research,
Vol. 31, N°1, pp.98-99
4
4) Should Breizh Cola have stayed on the Breton market or should it continue expanding
until becoming a nationwide distributed product?
5) Is there a possible threat of dilution of the brand’s cultural regional identity in this
extension?
Using a qualitative methodology with netnography and interviews, we will look into the
brand identity, brand image and brand territory of Breizh Cola, and dig into the perceptions,
feelings and thoughts of consumers about its geographical brand extension, and try to determine
whether a regional brand can succeed outside of its birth region while still keeping the same
strong cultural identity.
2. BACKGROUND – THE CASE
In this section, we will present the topic that has been chosen for this final paper. We will
begin in Part 2.1. by saying a few words about generic cola drinks that exist and about the two
international brands that dominate the market, before moving on in Part 2.2. to a discussion
about the emergence of the new trend of alternative cola drinks. Then, we will make in Part 2.3.
a presentation of the specific local brand that has been chosen for this study – Breizh Cola, and
finally in Part 2.4, we will talk about its recent extension to the Parisian region in 2013.
2.1. COLA DRINKS – THE DOMINATION OF A FEW INTERNATIONAL BRANDS
Cola beverage is a sparkling drink which is prepared from extracts of fruits and plants
combined with carbonic gas, sugar, caffeine and food coloring. Cola is mostly known as a drink,
though it can also be used in candies, and it takes its name from the kola nut which was
originally used as the main ingredient but is rarely used anymore nowadays. The first cola
beverage was invented in 1885 by the pharmacist John Pemberton, in the USA, and was first
branded as a medicine against stomachaches2. It has since evolved and became a popular soda
drink that producers render unique by adding aromas to give it an original flavor. People now
consume this beverage as a soft drink in many occasions, sometimes even on a daily basis, to
the point where the annual world consumption of Coca Cola is 350 billion liters3 (approximately
worth 166 700 Olympic swimming pools of 3 million liters each), with Mexico being the first-
ranking country for per capita Coca Cola consumption (105,9L/person) (ibid). In France, the
average annual Coca-Cola consumption is about 22,7L/person and the brand represents 60% of
market shares on the cola segment4.
Two competitors stand out on the cola drinks market, which don’t need to be presented
anymore: Coca Cola and Pepsi, both American companies which distribute their products
worldwide and compete with each other in many different countries. If Coca Cola is leading
the dance since 1960, date at which it became the world’s most consumed beverage in 135
countries aside from tea and coffee (ibid), the “cola war” has been on for decades and Pepsi is
far from giving up, keeping its “challenger” spirit to project a young, daring, dynamic and fresh
2
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cola
3
http://www.planetoscope.com/boisson/1262-consommation-mondiale-de-coca-cola.html
4
http://www.francesoir.fr/lifestyle-gastronomie/french-colas-lexception-culturelle
5
image towards consumers5, against the strong positioning on “happiness” and “life” of Coca
Cola. This opposition could be summed up in “exciting life” against “happy life”6.
However, despite this opposition, what unites those two brands is that they are both
international players on the soda market, with very few competitors aside from each other,
and their strategy, mostly used by Coca Cola, is to have the same core product but to adapt it
locally where the brand is implanted, following the principle of “think global, act local”7, using
different names, communication strategies and distribution channels depending on the country
and its culture, but keeping the same spirit and the same look and feel (see Image N°1 below).
IMAGE N°1: local cultural adaptation of Coca Cola in different countries
And this domination has been criticized because of the cultural globalization and the duopoly
it triggers. Many voices have risen to protest against this situation, especially against Coca Cola,
on the one hand because it conveys the American cultural hegemony that goes over local
cultural identities, having everyone consuming the same products, and on the other hand,
because there is no place for newcomers or other competitors. As an example, the three first
cola drinks consumed in France in 2015 are #1: Coca Cola, #2: Coca Light and #3: Coca Zero,
which together represent 90% of French cola drinks market share8. This situation has led to the
emergence of alternative cola drinks, which we will discuss in Part 2.2.
2.2. ALTERNATIVE COLA DRINKS – A COUNTERBALANCE OF COCA COLA’S HEGEMONY
As a response to this market and cultural hegemony, alternative cola drinks have appeared
on local markets. Four main different categories of what can be called altercolas are to be
distinguished:
- The cultural altercola: this beverage has been created as a rejection of the American
cultural hegemony of Coca Cola, and offers a drink linked to a different culture. A
notorious example is Breizh Cola (which will be our main topic);
5
NORTON Michael I. and AVERY Jill (2011), The Pepsi Refresh Project – A thirst for change, case for Harvard
Business School distributed by Case Centre
6
http://softdrinkcolawar.blogspot.fr/2012/12/pepsi-positionig-pepsi-has-historically.html
7
http://softdrinkcolawar.blogspot.fr/2012/12/coca-cola-targeting-and-positioning.html
8
6
- The fair trade altercola: this drink respects the principles and criteria of fair trade or
biological agriculture, but this is the smallest category. An example is Meuh Cola,
developed in Normandy in 2010, made of fair trade and biological sugar;
- The competing altercola: this brand is independent and a serious competitor which
doesn’t work towards the rejection of Coca Cola but wants to promote its own recipe.
One good example is Inca Kola, in Peru, which uses the original ingredient of the kola
nut;
- The engaged altercola: this beverage aims at being politically engaged, with part of
the profit of the sales being redistributed to organizations. The best example is Mecca
Cola which is about contesting the USA’s foreign policy and its support to Israel and
which gives part of its benefits to a humanitarian association working in Palestine and
Europe9.
Our focus in this paper will lay on cultural altercolas. A deeper segmentation could
distinguish again two different categories of cultural altercolas: regional altercolas (e.g.
Corsica Cola or Elsass Cola), which are embedded in the culture of a specific region and aim
at defending and promoting this regional culture; and identity altercolas (e.g. Zelal Cola in
Germany, targeting Germans of Turkish origins), which do not target a specific region, but
specific characteristics of the audience, such as ethnicity, origins10... Our topic here will be a
regional altercola known as Breizh Cola, which takes its roots in Bretagne, France. We will
present the brand in Part 2.3. but many other exist in France, which play the card of regionalism
to cut themselves a piece of the pie that the American giant eats almost alone, a bit like the
Gallic tribes “resisting still and always in front of the invader”11.
2.3. BREIZH COLA – A BRETON REGIONAL PRODUCT STANDING UP TO GLOBAL BRANDS
Breizh Cola was created in 2002 by Stéphane Kerdodé and Eric Ollive, in Bretagne, and
was the first regional altercola option available for French consumers12. It is located in the
region and the whole production is ensured there as well, by the group Brasserie Lancelot
(brewery Lancelot), which exists since 1990 and owns Breizh Cola, and in partnership with the
Cidrerie Loïc Raison for the plastic bottling13. The word “Breizh” in itself is the Breton word
to designate Bretagne. As for its slogan, “le cola du phare ouest”, it literally means “the cola
from the beacon west”, a pun only understandable in French with “phare” (beacon) sounding
like “far” to make a word play on “far west”, and geographically relevant as well since the
region of Bretagne is located near the Atlantic ocean and therefore has many beacons on its
territory. We begin to see here the deep connection between the brand and its region, as well
as the humorous tone of the brand, which explicitly and boldly claims to be the second “far
west” after the American Coca Cola. A clever name and slogan that clearly state the brand’s
9
http://www.la-croix.com/Actualite/Economie-Entreprises/Economie/Les-altercolas-un-marche-en-ebullition-
_NG_-2004-06-09-500862
10
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cola_alternatif
11
Reference to the famous comics of Astérix and Obélix, by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo.
12
http://www.breizhcola.fr/
13
http://www.ouest-france.fr/economie/industries/le-breizh-cola-sera-integralement-produit-en-bretagne-
4482557
7
goal and identity, deeply rooted in the region. This connotation of “far west” can also be found
in some visuals (see Image N°2) showing the bottles of Breizh products wearing cowboy hats
and a holster with guns.
IMAGE N°2: banner on Breizh Cola’s website, also used in advertising, showing the 4 products
of the brand dressed as cowboys, with a beacon visible to remind of Bretagne
Breizh Cola is said to taste a lot more like caramel and to use less gas. Its secret does not lie
in the ingredients, which remain very close to those of Coca Cola, but in the dosage. It can also
be found in different versions which came along the years to diversify the portfolio, such as
(see Image N°2) Breizh Cola Zero, Breizh Cola Sugarless or Breizh Cola Stévia, before the
introduction of non-cola drinks such as Breizh Iced Tea, Breizh Lemonade and Breizh Agrum.
Since its launch in 2002, Breizh Cola has had a two-digit growth and has managed to capture
10% of the sodas’ market share in the “Grand Ouest” of France (composed of Bretagne,
Pays de la Loire, Normandy, and Nouvelle-Aquitaine) and up to 15% of Bretagne’s market
shares, far behind Coca Cola but in front of Pepsi14!
The strategy of Breizh Cola relies mostly in two points. The first aspect is that Breton people
identify themselves strongly to the culture of their region and will support the Breton brands
by buying them. The second aspect is that the company can rely on a very efficient distribution
network thanks to the Brasserie Lancelot’s other products (such as beers) which have made
their way through bars, restaurants and all kinds of festivals long ago. The strength of Breizh
Cola is to have managed to become systematically associated to big local cultural events
(such as the Festival des Vieilles Charrues, or the Festival Interceltique)15. By exploiting these
partnerships with local events of sports clubs (like the Stade Rennais) and the sensitivity of
inhabitants to regional products, the company did not even have to spend a lot on
communication from the very beginning16. The daring personality of the brand continued in
2010 with the launch of Breizh Cola Stevia, which used stevia instead of sugar and was the first
French soda producer to break the red color code to use green instead.
14
http://www.lsa-conso.fr/produits/breizh-cola,133409
15
https://www.challenges.fr/entreprise/quand-breizh-cola-nargue-coca-cola_11440
16
http://www.culture-breizh.com/fr/2013/01/breizh-cola-incroyable-success-story-coca-breton/
8
2.4. THE ARRIVAL OF BREIZH COLA TO PARIS – EXTENDING A REGIONAL PRODUCT
NATIONWIDE?
In front of this success story, many other regions have followed Breizh Cola’s lead and
launched their own versions of cola drinks, but not all have managed to survive, like the
northern version of Chtilà Cola which was compelled to close. Breizh Cola has helped some,
like Corsica Cola, and carried by their success and their €15 million of revenues in 2010, the
brand launched its brand in Paris, the region in France with most “Breton impatriates17”.
This arrival was carried out almost as a provocation to Coca Cola: the location of the launch
was highly symbolic, situated almost under the very nose of the French headquarters of Coca
Cola, in Issy-les-Moulineaux18. Even the picture (see Image N°3) showing a remake of D-Day
but with a laughing Breton grandmother in traditional clothes, the Breton flag and parachutes
of Breizh Cola storming the Eiffel Tower, could be understood as a direct attack to Coca Cola,
which arrived in France at the end of World War II with the liberation of France. Daring move
for a small challenger that has yet managed to oblige the Giant to conceive new advertising
campaigns dedicated to the Breton market to avoid losing more market shares to Breizh Cola,
with triskels symbols, Bretagne colors and language on the bottles19.
IMAGE N°3: advertisement used by Breizh Cola to announce its arrival in Paris in 2013
17
The term « impatriate » is used here to describe people who were born in a region of a country and have
moved to live in a different region in the same country. Here, it will mostly designate Breton people who live
outside of Bretagne.
18
19
http://www.culture-breizh.com/fr/2013/01/breizh-cola-incroyable-success-story-coca-breton/
9
Again, the brand managed to spend little on communication, playing rather on the regional
identity via social media and special launch operations in Auchan, Carrefour market and
Intermarché in Paris, still with its off the wall humor, targeting the 1 million Bretons of the
capital city20. Most of the profit is rather invested in the production capacity of the brand in
Bretagne21. Yet, with all the initiatives of altercolas that exist in France (more than 30!), these
new local players have only managed to get 1% of the total French market, still far from their
main competitor22. Among them, Breizh Cola remains the most popular and successful cola
drink brand, and the only one that got out of its region to conquer other markets. This is why
our study will focus on this specific brand, and we will wonder whether the brand could
extend until it becomes a national brand, and if so, if it should do it or remain a regional
product.
3. THEORY AND LITERATURE REVIEW
In this section, we will cover some important definitions that need tackling in branding for
our topic by going through the literature. From Part 3.1 to Part 3.10., we will therefore introduce
concepts such as brand, brand identity, brand personality, brand image, brand reputation, brand
territory, brand stretching, brand community, brand relationship with culture and branding. We
will end in Part 3.10.1 and Part 3.10.2 by focusing on ethnic and regional branding and how it
can be used by marketers as a strategy of differentiation and of cultural identification to leverage
growth opportunities, with the advantages and risks these strategies come with.
3.1. WHAT IS A BRAND?
A brand is a very difficult thing to explain and define, as almost each researcher coins his/her
own definition (Kapferer, 2004) 23 . Originally, a brand was the mark made on offerings in
Mesopotamia and Greek civilizations to identify them, then they became marks made on cattle
to show ownership of the animals, but it evolved since that time to become something more
abstract and yet with substantial value for companies. A brand is something that is both formal
and informal: it is composed of a name, a logo, a color code and a legal right (called
trademark) for the formal part, and it represents informally value for consumers, a resource
for companies (a form of immaterial capital, Arvidsson, 200724) and a way of conveying values
or lifestyles through products and services. Their main characteristics are to be stimulators of
demand (through emotional attachment, loyalty…), creators of new consumption (through
legitimizing the company in the eyes of the consumers) and developers of new markets by
extension (stretching). Brands can be seen as devices that allow us to embody a company’s
positioning for consumers to see and understand it properly. This variety of definitions makes
it more difficult to interpret what brands are and how to manage them, and yet, brands are
20
https://www.lesechos.fr/17/01/2013/lesechos.fr/0202507198026_breizh-cola--le----coca--breton----
debarque-a-paris.htm
21
https://www.lesechos.fr/01/08/2013/LesEchos/21491-095-ECH_du-breizh-cola-au-poitou-cola--les-sodas-
deviennent-regionaux.htm
22
23
KAPFERER Jean-Noël (2004), The New Strategic Brand Management: Creating and Sustaining Brand Equity
Long Term, Kogan Page publishers
24
ARVIDSSON Adam (2007), The logic of the brand, Vol 20, N°1 , pp.99-115
10
omnipresent in our lives. So omnipresent that they even became the targets of criticism, giving
birth to anti-brands movements within post-modern societies (Klein, 1999) 25 . Nonetheless,
brands are useful to differentiate products, services and companies and are used this way
today.
Brands can be classified in 12 sub-categories (Maurya and Mishra, 2012)26, which can be
gathered in two broader categories, one with consumer perspective and the other with firm
perspective:
- Brand as LOGO
- Brand as LEGAL INSTRUMENT
- Brand as a COMPANY
- Brand as a SHORTHAND
- Brand as a RISK REDUCER
- Brand as an IDENTITY SYSTEM
- Brand as IMAGE in consumer’s mind
- Brand as a VALUE SYSTEM
- Brand as a PERSONALITY
- Brand as RELATIONSHIP
- Brand as ADDING VALUE
- Brand as EVOLVING ENTITY
Many different definitions therefore exist, which makes it difficult to understand the same
thing when we hear the term “brand”, but the certain fact is that they allow companies to
embody a set of values, ideals and messages through their products and services, and to
become present in consumers’ minds. This is how companies create emotional attachment
from consumers to their products and services, and create a relationship with them. From a
firm’s perspective, the most important aspects will be brand as a logo, a legal instrument, a
company, an identity system, an image in consumer’s mind, a value system, a personality, a
relationship, adding value and an evolving entity (ibid) while a consumer’s perspective will
consider a brand as a risk reducer, a shorthand, an image, a personality, a relationship and an
evolving entity, but they will also focus on tangible aspects such as name, logo, design and
colors (Keller, 1993)27.
The concept of brand was highly reinforced during the industrial revolution, when mass
production arrived and supermarkets started to replace small groceries. Indeed, from that time
on, the relation of trust consumers had with the retailer in the village shop disappeared, and
they could not count on them to suggest the best products for them. This is why brands have
evolved to become a guarantee of quality and origin of the products, a seal of credibility for
consumers (brand as risk-reducer), guiding consumers in their choices and triggering brand
loyalty and brands as we know them today.
25
KLEIN Naomi (1999), No Logo, Random House of Canada Limited
26
KUMAR MAURYA Upendra and MISHRA P. (2012), What is a brand? A perspective on brand meaning,
European Journal of Business and Management
27
KELLER K.L. (1993), Conceptualizing, Measuring and Managing Customer-Based Brand Equity, Journal of
Marketing, Vol 57, N°1, pp.1-22
11
3.2. WHAT IS BRAND IDENTITY?
Now that we have generally defined what a brand is, we can look deeper in this complex
concept to define another term that needs explaining in branding: brand identity. This is a very
important concept for companies. Martinez and De Chernatony (2004)28 describe it as the “set
of brand associations that the brand strategists aspire to create or maintain”. Brand identity
can be understood as a set of unique characteristics and associations that have been created
by brand managers and that make up the very soul of the brand. This brand identity is what it
stands for, what it represents for consumers, and also what it will promise them in terms of
benefits they will get if they buy the brand. These characteristics and associations are not
supposed to change easily: they should be long-term and enduring, as they carry the identity
of the brand, what makes it different and unique among competitors. Indeed, De Chernatony
(1999) 29 talks about ethos, core values and aims that will make the brand different from
competition. Kapferer’s hexagonal identity prism (1997)30 makes brand identity the result of
many different aspects: brand culture (based on Schein’s 1984 model of the three levels of
corporate culture), brand physique, brand reflection, brand personality, brand relationships and
brand self-image (see Schema N°1 p.13). Brand identity is all the elements that make the brand
unique and recognizable.
This identity must be carefully created and managed since the birth of the brand, creating
some legitimacy over a specific territory (Kapferer, 2012)31, which we will define later. This
is something that must not depend on consumers’ actions, but only on company’s decisions,
which will impact the identity over time, make it change or remain the same. To sum up, brand
identity is like the ID card of a brand (Kapferer, 2008), that will instantly give consumers an
idea about the characteristics and benefits they could get through it, both tangible and intangible
(Keller, 1993)32. Consumers will perhaps not be able to understand the exact message brand
managers are trying to convey through their brands, and this is why it is very important for
companies to make their brand identity as clear and consistent as possible to ensure they
will understand the way the firm meant it and to make the brand endure. Some academics talk
about brand DNA, a “script” of what the brand is, which are the core values, the vision and
the mission of the brand, as well as the recognition signs.
Different brand identity models exist, divided between management models (market
models and communication models) and semiotic models, but this topic goes too far for our
research, so we will just mention their existence and move on to the next definition.
28
MARTINEZ Eva and DE CHERNATONY Leslie (2004), The effect of brand extension strategies upon brand image,
The Journal of consumer marketing, Vol 21, N°1, pp. 39-50
29
DE CHERNATONY Leslie (1999), Brand management through narrowing the gap between brand identity and
brand reputation, Journal of marketing management, Vol 15, N°1/3, pp. 157-179
30
KAPFERER Jean-Noël (1997), Strategic brand management: creating and sustaining brand equity long term,
Kogan Page Publishers
31
KAPFERER Jean-Noël (2012), The new strategic brand management: Advanced insights and strategic
thinking. Kogan Page Publishers
32
KELLER, K.L. (1993), Conceptualizing, Measuring and Managing Customer-Based Brand Equity, Journal of
Marketing, Vol 57, N°1, pp.1-22.
12
SCHEMA N°1: Jean-Noël Kapferer’s 1997 hexagonal brand identity prism
3.3. WHAT IS BRAND PERSONALITY?
This concept seems very close to that of brand identity. Indeed, personality can be defined
as “the complex of characteristics that distinguishes an individual, a notion or a group” or a
“set of distinctive traits and characteristics”, which sounds a lot like our previous definition of
brand identity. This personification of brands is something very human: we tend to see
human traits in our pets, we associate human feelings and characteristics with objects, plants
and animals, because this creates a connection with them and allows us to better understand
them (so we think). We can see this tendency in History, with for example anthropomorphism
in Ancient Egypt, or just in our everyday life, when we yell at our dog for relieving itself on the
carpet or when we get angry at our laptop for crashing down. A good example would be in the
movies, where pirates or sailors call their ship “she” instead of “it”. It is easier for our brains to
associate human traits with inanimate or intangible objects to better understand them, and it all
happens unconsciously even for brands. We all recall calling a brand like Apple “cool” or a
brand like Pepsi “young”. Consumers therefore tend to do the same with brands and this is what
we call brand personality, which can be defined as “the set of human characteristics
associated with a given brand. Thus it includes such characteristics as gender, age, and
socioeconomic class, as well as such classic human personality traits as warmth, concern, and
sentimentality” (Aaker, 1997)33. This way, consumers tend to identify themselves more easily
with brands, because they feel they share common traits of personality or because they expect
the brand will give them the ability to be a bit more like it (e.g. “cooler” by buying Apple). This
is why some authors, in their interviews with consumers, tend to talk about brand personality
rather than brand identity, to make it simpler for consumers (Davies and Chun, 2002) 34. But if
we take again Kapferer’s hexagonal brand identity prism, we can see that brand personality
is a part of brand identity, which means the two concepts should not be confused. Brand
personality should be understood as a metaphor that makes it simpler for respondents to
33
AAKER, Jennifer L. (1997), Dimensions of Brand Personality, Journal of Marketing, Vol. 34, N°3, pp.347-356.
34
DAVIES Gary and CHUN Rosa (2002), Gaps between the internal and external perceptions of the corporate
brand, Corporate reputation review, Vol 5, N°2/3, pp 144-158
13
understand the question about brand identity, and this is actually how we will ask the question
in our study to our interviewees.
3.4. WHAT IS BRAND IMAGE?
Brand image can be understood as “a holistic impression of the relative position of the
brand among perceived competitors” (De Chernatony, 1999)35. This means that, contrary to
brand identity, which was created by the company and was an internal perception of what the
brand stands for, brand image is more an external perception of customers about the brand
(Keller, 1993)36. It represents what they believe is true about the brand, what they think of it
and how they feel about it (Davies and Chun, 2002)37. We can therefore also say that brand
image is “not what the company believes it to be, but the feelings and beliefs about the company
that exist in the minds of its audiences” (Hatch and Schultz, 1997)38. Though this definition was
first meant for organizational image, it can be stretched to brand image, as strong brands are
easily associated with their companies and share similar images in the minds of consumers.
Keller (1993) defines brand image as “the perceptions about a brand as reflected by the brand
associated held in consumer memory”. In the end, what differs between brand identity and
brand image is the following:
- Brand identity is the enduring, internal perception of the brand, acted upon by the
company, which represents what the brand stands for, what it represents for the firm. It
is a firm-focused approach to the brand (Aaker, 1997)39;
- Brand image is the external, latest perception of the brand in the minds of consumers,
a reflection of the brand identity and personality. It is a customer-focused approach to
the brand (Keller, 1993)40, which changes over short periods of time and depends on the
brand identity and impression of the brand’s personality.
To put it differently, the company sends the brand identity through different media
(transmitted signal) and the consumers receive the brand image (received signal), which can
be distorted by many various filters and external interferences. Consumers will create their
own interpretation and brand image thanks to what the company projects to them, but the
company must absolutely see to it that it will strategically control as much as possible the way
the brand image will be formed to guide it in the direction that best suits its needs and goals.
This is why it should carefully be managed by the firm, and also why it is so volatile, because
each action of the company can endanger it or strengthen it.
35
36
KELLER, K.L. (1993), Conceptualizing, Measuring and Managing Customer-Based Brand Equity, Journal of
Marketing, Vol 57, N°1, pp.1-22
37
DAVIES Gary and CHUN Rosa (2002), Gaps between the internal and external perceptions of the corporate
brand, Corporate reputation review, Vol 5, N°2/3, pp 144-158
38
HATCH Mary Jo and SCHULTZ Majken (1997), Relations between organizational culture, identity and image,
European Journal of Marketing, Vol 31, N°5/6, pp. 356-365
39
AAKER, Jennifer L. (1997), Dimensions of Brand Personality, Journal of Marketing, Vol. 34, N°3, pp.347-356
40
Same as note 36
14
3.5. WHAT IS BRAND REPUTATION?
Here again, it seems like the concept of brand reputation sounds a lot like that of brand
image, and yet, there are differences that should be highlighted. Indeed, we said before that
brand image is the latest perception of consumers of a brand, which fluctuates over short periods
of time. On the other hand, reputation is related to perceptions about the brand over longer
periods of time (De Chernatony, 1999)41. Reputation, therefore, is more stable than brand
image, though it is not static, since it is the “collective representation of a brand’s past actions
and results that describes the brand’s ability to deliver valued outcomes to multiple
stakeholders” (ibid), or the “result of past actions of the organization over time” (Azoury, Daou
and El Khoury, 2014) 42 . Brand reputation can be seen as the accumulation and global
evaluation of successive brand images over time in the minds of consumers, which can be
impacted in a good or bad way by a company’s actions and decisions. An example could be
that of the “Dell Hell” case 43 , where the company at the beginning of the 2000s reduced
drastically the budget for customer service and outsourced it in India while it kept promising a
one-to-one customized service. With the quality of customer service going dramatically down,
customers ended up complaining about the brand and the company so much that the “Dell Hell”
movement was launched on the blogosphere, damaging considerably the reputation of the
company for the years to come, until the company decided to invest a lot to improve its service
and launched its own blogs to be more reactive and monitor the mentions of the brand online.
3.6. WHAT IS BRAND TERRITORY?
Brand territory can be defined as the cognitive space the brand occupies in the minds of
consumers. It is the “universe of consumption within which the brand is perceived as being
legitimate in consumers’ minds” (Sitz, 2017)44. In other words, it is the overall positioning of
the brand. For example, Danone’s positioning or territory could be summed up as “health in
food”. The territory of Evian could be summed up as “childhood” or “youth”, as it pictures
babies to express the idea of youth and purity of the water. This is all about being legitimate in
the brands that are offered by a company. For example, McDonald’s would not be legitimate in
healthy food because its territory is about junk food, or at least fast food, and it would be the
same if Danone were to offer low-quality, highly processed food to consumers. Therefore, the
capacity of a brand to act is limited to its brand territory, outside of which it will have no
legitimacy to act and will be considered negatively by consumers, it will not be accepted by
them. Kapferer (1991)45 talked about a “brand halo” that is a zone where the brand can extend
and act, because it is where it is perceived as legitimate, contrary to the “forbidden zones” where
the brand image and identity could be threatened and harmed. While managers will create this
brand territory from a top-down approach, they have to keep in mind that consumers will have
41
42
AZOURY Nehme, DAOU Lindos and EL KHOURY Charbel (2014), University image and its relationship to student
satisfaction, International strategic management review, Vol 2, N°1, pp. 1-8
43
DEL VECCHIO Pasquate, LAUBACHER Robert, NDOU Valentina and PASSIANTE Giuseppina (2011), Managing
corporate reputation in the blogosphere: the case of Dell computer, Corporate Reputation Review, Vol.14, N°2,
pp.133-144
44
SITZ Lionel (2017), Emlyon course of Branding lecture on brand territory
45
KAPFERER Jean-Noël (1991), Les marques, capital de l’entreprise, Editions d’Organisation, Paris
15
a bottom-up approach to brand territory, starting with tangible aspects before associating them
with the brand. This means that managers should always consider the perspective of consumers
when they want to extend their brands as well as the upper elements such as brand vision and
purpose, core brand values, brand personality, benefits and attributes (Kapferer, 2012) 46 ,
because brand territory determines the possibilities of brand stretching and where the
brand will be legitimate in the consumers’ minds.
3.7. WHAT IS BRAND STRETCHING?
We have seen that a company cannot act outside of its brand territory. However, it is possible
to extend the brand territory, in what is called brand stretching strategies. These strategies
are processes used when introducing a new brand to the market is deemed too costly (Aaker,
1990)47, or when we want to capitalize on the brand’s legitimacy to conquer new markets.
“Stretching a brand is a potential avenue for growth and return on investment [and] it may also
allow the brand to reap further stretchability advantages that accompany broad brands”
(Ahluwalia, 2008)48. Brand stretching is therefore very interesting for companies. However,
brand extension should not be confused with range extension. The latter is about launching a
modified product in the same broad market segment, with the same nature and benefits, while
the former consists in using an established brand name to launch a product with a different
nature and different benefits in an unrelated market segment. We are here interested in brand
extension. There are two types of brand stretching: linear extension, where the parent brand is
used to target a new market segment within a product category currently served by the parent
brand, and category extension, in which the company uses the same brand to enter into a
completely unrelated product segment by leveraging the brand equity and success of the parent
brand and legitimize the new brand (Sitz, 2017)49. The more a brand can stretch, the more
valuable it is.
The importance for brand stretching is to find the good “fit” between the parent brand’s
segment or category and the new extension of the brand, a “function of salient shared
associations between the family brand and the extension product and depends on the semantic
overlaps” (ibid). This is where knowing about your brand territory is crucial, to avoid going
too far from it. If it does, then the new product would not be perceived as legitimate by
consumers. Brands that have a big value can stretch further than others, because stretching
potential differs from one brand to the other. In the end, companies need the parent brand to
endorse the brand extension, and to do so, they have to extend only strong brands with strong
stretching potential on segments that have a fit, while maintaining quality with clear goals and
by legitimizing the extension to make it appear more authentic. Two main aspects should be
considered to finding the good fit: transferability and complementarity (Aaker, 1990), the
former referring to the leveraging of previous skills of the brand that will apply in the extension,
46
KAPFERER Jean-Noël (2012), The new strategic brand management: Advanced insights and strategic
thinking. Kogan Page Publishers
47
AAKER, David A. (1990), Brand extensions: “the good, the bad, the ugly”, Sloan Management Review, Vol.
31, N°4, pp.47-56
48
AHLUWALIA Rohini (2008), How far can a brand stretch? Understanding the role of self-construal, Journal of
Marketing research, Vol. 45, pp.337-350
49
SITZ Lionel (2017), Emlyon business school course Branding lecture
16
and the latter referring to the complementarity of the new brand with the parent brand in the
minds of consumers, despite different segments.
Finally, dangers await those who do not carefully manage their brand stretching strategies
or don’t find the proper fit, such as cannibalization, missing opportunities, confusing the
consumers, backlash from consumers or brand dilution (ibid), as it was notably stressed by
Martinez and De Chernatony (2004)50. To avoid that, firms should have a positive image so
that they can transfer it to the new product extension, and the attitude of consumers towards
the perceived fit is also a strong factor for stretching strategies success (Martinez, Montaner
and Pina, 2007)51.
3.8. WHAT IS A BRAND COMMUNITY?
A brand community can be defined as “a specialized, non-geographically bound

community, based on a structured set of social relations among admirers of a brand, with
shared consciousness, rituals, traditions, and a sense of moral responsibility”52. This is about
a gathering of like-minded consumers who share common interests, values or lifestyles and get
together around a brand they like to share experiences, tips or help. Consumers can be
segmented in four categories around a brand community, like exposed in the Schema N°2
below53, which are mainly the hardcore fans, active members, members and visitors:
SCHEMA N°2: a brand community model by David M. Kalman (2009)
50
MARTINEZ Eva and DE CHERNATONY Leslie (2004), The effect of brand extension strategies upon brand image,
The Journal of consumer marketing, Vol 21, N°1, pp. 39-50
51
MARTINEZ Eva, MONTANER Teresa and PINA Jose M. (2007), Brand extension feedback: the role of advertising,
Journal of Business Research, Vol. 62, pp. 305-313
52
MUNIZ Albert M. JR. and O’GUINN Thomas C. (2001), Brand Community, Journal of Consumer Research, Vol
27, N°4, pp.412-432
53
KALMAN David M. (2009), Brand communities, marketing and media, Terrella Media
17
A brand community is a long-lasting elective group sharing the same value system and
feelings that they belong with one another and with the community, on the basis of a true loyalty
to a brand, which is a mix of cognitive preference, emotional attachment and conative behavior.
The three main markers of brand communities are a shared consciousness, rituals and moral
responsibility (Sitz, 2017)54.
Relationships between the brand and its community are important to leverage loyalty and
generate word-of-mouth, among other benefits for marketers. To make great relationships, they
need to fulfill the needs of the members of the brand community, which are a need for
information, for relationship-building, for status or influence, for identification and self-
promotion, for helping others and for intrinsic enjoyment. This calls for high investments in
time, sometimes in money, to create an appealing environment for the community to
communicate and share on. It needs marketers to provide members with value so they will come
and be engaged in the community. To do so, they have to understand the consumers, what they
feel, dream and live to capture these insights and leverage them within the brand, to create a
better experience and a deeper connection with consumers. This connection creates an
emotional attachment of consumers to some brands, which will create in turn loyalty, positive
word-of-mouth and members willing to become brand ambassadors to champion and advocate
for the brand around them. This is called emotional branding (a mix of affective branding,
relational marketing and authentic values), which is all about telling good, real and genuine
stories (Thompson et al, 2006) to consumers, using the insights that have been leveraged before.
Building brand communities requires to transform users and consumers into co-creators,
then into community members and finally into brand ambassadors and evangelists. It can be
done bottom-up (consumer-launched community) or top-down (firm-driven community), but
it always follows three main steps, which are creating a communitarian space, be it physical
or virtual, giving people a sense of collective identity, be it positive or negative identification
processes, and finally, making the social structure emerge and stabilize hierarchy (Sitz, 2017).
3.9. WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BRANDS AND CULTURE?
Many frameworks exist that call for different approaches to understanding why consumers
consume or how to get them to consume. But these past years, the link between brands and
culture has been stressed by academics (for example, Thompson). Brand culture is “a living
entity, that evolves and responds to the dynamic of the marketplace and which is continuously
recreated as the various parties having an interest in the brand relate stories around the
experience of the brand”55. To be successful in the long-run, brands must stay embedded in
culture, always following the cultural shifts and trends, such as crowdcultures (Holt, 2016)56,
to leverage the potential of cultural and social tensions. Cultural branding is about engaging
in key cultural issues of society, responding to historical changes that matter to consumers,
championing an ideology that will resonate in their life. Brands have to respond with myths,
tell stories with ideological meaning, to bring this ideology to life for consumers. For example,
Dove has managed to leverage the cultural tension about what is deemed “beautiful” in our
54
55
VICDAN Handan (2017), Emlyon business school course Rethinking Marketing lecture
56
HOLT Douglas (2016), Branding in the age of social medial, Harvard Business Review, pp.40-50
18
society, and has become the brand that follows the ideology of changing beauty ideals of society
(see Image N°3 below).
IMAGE N°3: picture representing Dove’s “Real Beauty Campaign”, showing different women
far from society’s ideals of beauty (extremely skinny with unrealistic bodies).
Moreover, brands and culture are tightly related, since the consumption of brands always
takes place in “complex communities that cut across conventional geographic and societal
boundaries” (Thompson, 2004)57. This is why brands are never understood the same way in
different countries, because they are embedded in a cultural context from their motherlands.
Brands should tap into culture to be relevant to consumers and create emotional attachment.
3.10. WHAT IS BRANDING?
Branding can be defined as a continuous process that builds and rebuilds a brand
constantly, because a brand is not built once and for all: we saw just before that they evolve (or
should) with culture and society, so they need to be constantly updated by marketers, adapted
to the cultural changes. Branding is about putting on the market a resource (the brand) that will
allow people to do something else with it, so branding is about making the product or the
service meaningful for consumers, to finally create value for them and the company. The
brand is being acted upon by the company but also by consumers, and branding will be all the
activities and procedures which will enhance the value of a product or service. It will create and
sustain the values of the products for people to buy them, and it is about how people see the
brand. Branding, finally, is about finding how to appropriate this value and to monetize it,
by marking people’s minds and hearts (cognitive and emotional aspects are both important)
(Sitz, 2017)58.
57
THOMPSON, C.J. (2004), Beyond Brand Image: Analyzing the Culture of Brands, Advances in Consumer
Research, Vol. 31, N°1, pp.98-99
58
19
3.10.1. WHAT IS ETHNIC BRANDING?
We have talked about branding as a continuous process and have also mentioned how brands
and culture are closely related. This link can be found in very specific types of branding, such
as ethnic branding. This type of branding will use and leverage an identity to which people
identify, in order to make individuals feel emotionally connected to the brand, by using
elements that are directly or indirectly linked to this identity. For example, ethnic branding
could target the specific ethnicity of Turkish people in Germany, by appealing to their Turkish
identity by using symbols, colors, values and codes that are linked in their minds to Turkey or
the Turkish culture. It will focus on trying to create traditions to legitimize the brand as being
authentic and part of the ethnic identity it targets. The French example of the Corsican Pietra
beer is telltale, with the two entrepreneurs leveraging many symbols and elements of the
Corsican culture to make the beer appear as a tradition of the island, when beer has never been
one, and which then targeted Corsican people by appealing to their cultural identity. This is
where ethnic branding gets very close to regional branding.
3.10.2. WHAT IS REGIONAL BRANDING?
Regional branding is different from ethnic branding in the sense that it does not tap into
the cultural identity of an ethnicity, but in the cultural identity of a geographical region, though
both can use the creation of tradition to legitimize their brands. Many elements that belong to
the imagery of the region are gathered to create an image that is embedded in the region, through
storytelling. The danger of this approach is that the more local the culture is, the narrower the
market becomes, and the more difficulties the brand will have in trying to export itself outside
of the region. The risk is to get locked inside this regional identity, due to a failure in
generalizing the meaning. Two strategies exist there: either I go deep and I talk to few people
but they really feel connected to the brand; or I stay at the surface to talk to more people but
run the risk of using clichés.
The positioning is original in so that the identity is that of a specific region, which can apply
to many products like food, art, clothes and knowhow. In France, many regions have their own
strong identities, with a will to express their regional culture. Regional sentiment can differ.
The brand can use the regional identity to emphasize and highlight the brand, or to really exhibit
the region, or to get involved in local economy and society, or finally to resist globalization.
Though the reasons are various to why regional brands emerge, regional branding is interesting
to study because it targets a very specific audience by basing itself on the regional culture, and
can face the challenge of exportation outside of the birth region and appealing to a different
target to grow.
4. METHODOLOGY
In this section, we will present the methodology that has been used in the research. Part 4.1.
will present the research question, Part 4.2. the methodology in itself, Part 4.3. the data
collection procedure and finally Part 4.4. will present the limitations of this methodology.
20
4.1. RESEARCH QUESTION AND TOPIC RATIONALE
This paper aims at studying the aspect of regional branding. To be more specific, this
research will investigate the way Breizh Cola has extended its distribution outside of its birth
region (notably in Paris in 2013, but since then in other parts of France) while it is deeply
embedded in the cultural identity of Bretagne, and how this extension is perceived by both
Bretons and other French people. The questions this paper will therefore try to answer are the
following:
did it legitimize this extension strategy?
people? Can Breizh Cola be successful outside of Bretagne?
extension?
The choice of this topic was made because in France, there are many regions with distinctive
and unique cultural identities that produce typical regional products with a strong link to their
birth region. It is the case of Bretagne, but also of Corsica, Alsace, Pays Basque, Normandy or
Nord-Pas-de-Calais. Regional products are flourishing and are highly regarded, both by the
inhabitants of these regions (with a strong sense of pride and belongingness) and by those of
other regions which view these products as typical and value the know-how and tradition in
their production. There is also currently a strong trend going against globalization and
towards local consumption, to which these products perfectly answer, which makes them even
more valuable, in the sense that they favor local economy and society, are deemed better for
the environment because they are produced locally and don’t consume as much fuel as products
coming for the other side of the world. They are also considered as healthier, because consumers
believe they use traditional and local products. All these reasons explain the stir around them.
This raises the question of these regional products going nationwide. Indeed, one could
question first the possibilities of such products to win national market against cheaper and
stronger international competitors, but also the chances of success of culturally embedded
products that “speak” to regionals but not necessarily to “outsiders”. This is why our first
question is about understanding how Breizh Cola branded its regional Breton beverage
outside of Bretagne. Our second question concerns the way Breton people view this
extension: do they feel proud of a Breton product extending to the whole nation, are they
indifferent or do they think it is a bad idea because it goes against the rationale of the product?
We distinguish this question from the third one, which tackles the viewpoint of non-Breton
people, who witness the arrival of this regional product outside of Bretagne. We want to find
out how they feel and think about this initiative of a regional product and what they think
about the chances of success of this product outside of Bretagne. These two questions will
allow us to answer the fourth one, which is concerned with finding out whether Breizh Cola
should have stayed a locally distributed brand or whether it should continue expanding
nationwide, and if so, how. Finally, we will ask ourselves whether a strong regional culturally
21
embedded product such as Breizh Cola (and others) could be threatened in their identity and
risk losing their appeal by going outside of its birth region.
4.2. RESEARCH DESIGN AND RATIONALE
As our aim in this paper is to understand how a regional branded product with a strong
cultural identity can (and should or not) be branded outside of its birth region and how it is
perceived by consumers from both the birth and other regions, we will opt in this methodology
for a qualitative research. Indeed, the perceptions, emotions and thoughts of consumers are
very important here to understand their experience with Breizh Cola, especially because it is a
very cultural product, and culture is deeply linked to emotions. A qualitative approach seems
therefore more appropriate as it seeks to describe an experience in a certain context (Saunders,
Lewis and Thornhill, 2012)59. Our purpose here is to get insights:
- On the way Breizh Cola legitimized its expansion outside of Bretagne in its discourse
and how it managed to brand its products in other regions, which calls for a collection
of qualitative data from the company’s branding strategy and from the discourse in the
media;
- On the way Breton people perceive and feel about Breizh Cola, and what they think of
this extension;
- On whether non-Breton people know about the brand, and how they feel and think about
it and its expansion, if they think it can succeed.
This collection of insights calls for a qualitative methodology, as a quantitative one might
not get deeply enough into the consumers’ experience with the brand.
4.3. DATA COLLECTION
In the frame of the qualitative methodology previously adopted for this study, the collection
of data proceeded in two main steps. The first step consisted in a netnography on the internet,
on the official Facebook page and Twitter account of Breizh Cola (available here:
https://www.facebook.com/breizhcolaofficiel/?fref=ts and here:
https://twitter.com/BreizhCola_and on Ciao, on the topic concerning Breizh Cola, with
comments from people having tasted it, available here:
http://www.ciao.fr/Alimentation/Colas/Breizh_cola__201007. For screenshots, see Appendix
N°8.
The second step consisted in one-to-one interviews with both Breton and non-Breton people
via Skype, following an interview guide (see Appendix N°1). Two Bretons, three non-Breton
and one non-Breton having lived in Bretagne for three years have thus been interviewed about
their soda consumption and their knowledge of Breizh Cola, and were asked how they perceive
the brand and its extension outside of Bretagne.
59
SAUNDERS, M., LEWIS P., THORNHILL A. (2012), Research Methods for Business Students, 6th ed., Harlow:
Pearson Education Ltd.
22
4.3.1. SAMPLE
The sample was selected by the author of this paper, which implies some possible bias in
the research methodology which will be discussed more in the limitations. The selection was
carried out among the author’s contacts. Not knowing personally any Breton people, the author
asked her contacts about their acquaintances and was directed towards three people who were
interviewed (see Appendices), which were therefore selected on a randomized method. She
chose three non-Bretons people, which were therefore selected on a non-randomized method
and on a convenience sample, due to their availability and their geographic location in Ile-De-
France and another region (Pays-Basque). Among the six respondents, five were males and one
female, but we do not believe this could provide a significant impact on the research data.
However, attention was paid on the age of respondents, to try to get both young and middle-
aged people, with three respondents being aged above 50 years old, and three being aged
between 20 and 24 years old. This choice was made in order to get insights from both consumers
who are more likely to drink soda (younger people) and from consumers who are more likely,
thanks to their life experience, to take a step back on their consumption and on general stakes.
Concerning the origins of the respondents, two young people are Bretons or having lived there
for three years, one young person if from Pays-Basque, two are middle-aged consumers from
Ile-De-France (the main target of Breizh Cola in its expansion) and the last one is a Breton
living there. This allows a diversity in the regions addressed as well as a good distribution of
age among these regions.
Concerning the netnography, the sample was selected as follows: the two main ways that
Breizh Cola interacts with its community and consumers are social media, namely Facebook
and Twitter. Considering the few opportunities for the brand to communicate ideas to its
consumers due to lack of advertising, these two platforms were deemed relevant in the
netnography, to analyze the interaction between Breizh Cola and the consumers. The last
website, Ciao, was selected as having about 15 to 20 posts talking specifically and in details
about the product in itself, and was selected because it gives information about consumer
satisfaction with the product’s attributes, such as bottle shape and design, colors, taste of the
product, smell and others which are relevant here as well to understand the relationship of
consumers with the product. Few forums or websites talked about Breizh Cola in depth through
numerous interactions, which explains the narrow sample of websites selected and studied.
4.3.2. INTERVIEWS
Interviews are considered the best way to get insights in qualitative studies (Saunders et al,
2012) 60 , because they allow researchers to get and develop a deeper understanding of the
respondent’s experiences. Interview guides are useful tools (ibid) to conduct interviews, using
semi-structured questions that give a guideline to the researcher and allows him/her to get all
the data needed. Possible other questions were asked when the respondents gave answers that
were favorable to deeper interrogation.
Because of a geographical distance with respondents (Bretagne and Ile-de-France when the
author was located in Lyon, Rhône-Alpes), the interviews took place via Skype and were
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recorded on the author’s mobile phone on the voice recorder application. Some images were
shown using internet links sent on the Skype’s chatbox to respondents, for them to give their
opinion on brand personality. Interviews last between 12 and 18 minutes approximately and
followed the interview guide (Appendix N°1). A general section was created in this guide to
ask some general questions concerning the consumers’ knowledge of the soda market and their
associations with the Bretagne region. Then, two different parts were created, one for Breton
people with questions focusing more on their perception of the brand and their identification
with it, and the second part for non-Breton people, focusing more on what they think of the
initiative of a Breton cola drink and whether they believe it could be a success. Interviews were
carried out in French as the respondents’ mother tongue is French, and the transcripts will be
in French in the Appendices, but the quotes when necessary and the interview guide in
Appendices will be translated in English. The questions were made to get insights on consumers’
perception of Breizh Cola’s brand identity (personality) from a few views of advertisements
made by the brand, on their feelings about the brand, on their knowledge of the brand, and on
their thoughts about the extension of the brand as well as the potential risks in this expansion.
4.3.3. NETNOGRAPHY
A netnography is a research process where social media is studied by analyzing member

discussions, activities and culture, via active participation and observation. It can be applied to
different social media, such as Facebook, Twitter, Forums or Blogs (Kozinets, 2010)61. The
benefits are manifold (ibid): netnographic research can bring a window into consumers’
everyday life and naturally occurring reality, they are faster, simple (can be used by anyone)
and less expensive than other methods, give you up-to-minute information while you sit in your
sofa, and you can get insights on customer values, attitudes, tastes, preferences, brand
perceptions, meanings… Many things can be observed, like the interaction and communications,
the expressions, likes, comments and social practices as well as traffic.
In our netnography, we have looked for three social networks and interactive websites on
which consumers could voice their opinion or interact with the brand. We have chosen Breizh
Cola’s official Facebook page, which gathers the greatest number of fans of the brand; Breizh
Cola’s official Twitter account, which is rather active and can have many mentions of the brand
outside of its page; and a website where consumers can give their opinion about products, Ciao.
The first two were analyzed to try to determine the brand sentiment of consumers towards
Breizh Cola’s brand identity and image, both Breton and non-Breton people, and to see how
the brand manages its brand image on its social networks. The relevance of social networks
managed by the brand is here crucial, as Breizh Cola spends very little in advertising and does
most of its communication online or through its distribution network and presence in events in
Bretagne. The last website, Ciao, was used to get an idea about consumer satisfaction about
the product, and also collected some insights about how they feel about the initiative of the
Breton cola drink.
Screenshots of the social networks and websites are available in Appendix N°8 (a, b and c)
with the analysis of findings. The netnography was carried out keeping in mind the questions
of brand identity, brand image, brand territory and brand geographical extension, but the
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KOZINETS Robert (2010), Netnography: doing ethnographic research online, SAGE Publications Ltd
24
main results concerned brand identity, brand image and brand satisfaction. We will see the
results more in Part 5.
4.4. LIMITATIONS
Limitations to the study’s methodology can be highlighted. First, the sample was biased in
its selection, due to the non-randomized selection of half of the respondents (the non-Bretons
people). Second, the sample size remains limited, though the insights provided were of interest
and brought several leads to answer the research questions, but this limitation is due to a lack
of access to Breton people in the time allocated for the research. Third, the very nature of the
qualitative approach chosen in this research paper leaves the interpretation to the discretion of
the author and calls for care when generalizing the results of the study (Saunders et al, 2012)62.
Fourth, the operationalization of the interviews via Skype caused a few technical difficulties
which made the comprehension sometimes difficult, though it just meant asking the question
again. Fifth, some respondents did not know about Breizh Cola and did not drink sodas, two
others knew but did not drink it a lot, which makes it more difficult to assess their appreciation
and knowledge of the brand, though for those who did not know, advertisements were provided
for them to make their own perception of the brand personality, and the others had tasted at
least once the product. Sixth, the duration of the interviews was rather short though they did
provide some interesting insights. Seventh, concerning the netnography, the extent of the
research was rather narrow with only three different social media, and the analysis stayed
general rather than going in-depth, since the main focus of the study was the interviews.
5. RESULTS
In the following section, we will carry out an empirical study of the results that derive
from the methodology presented in the previous section. We will start by presenting Breizh
Cola’s brand identity through the analysis of Breizh Cola’s website and official Facebook page
and Twitter account in Part 5.1., then we will present the brand image of Breizh Cola through
the perception of brand personality by respondents (and social mentions on the internet),
distinguishing between Bretons and non-Bretons in Part 5.2.1. and Part 5.2.2., then we will move
on to describing Breizh Cola’s brand territory in Part 5.3., before taking a look at consumers’
perception of Breizh Cola’s extension to other regions in Part 5.4.1. for Breton people and in
Part 5.4.2. for non-Breton people, and in Part 5.4.3., we will see briefly how Breizh Cola
legitimized this extension in its discourse. Finally, in Part 5.5., we will take a look at the other
results obtained in this study.
5.1. BREIZH COLA’S BRAND IDENTITY
The brand identity of Breizh Cola as presented by the company on its website and social
media communication relies on three main aspects: Bretagne, fun and the challenger spirit.
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5.1.1. Bretagne
Breizh Cola plays strongly on the Breton aspect of its product. Indeed, the very name and
slogan emphasize this trait of the product, with “Breizh” meaning “Bretagne” in Breton
language, and the pun we already explained making the myth of the Far West a Breton parody.
The origins of the product are also stressed (produced in Bretagne, by a Breton company that
has made Breton beers for a long time) and is advertised by being visible in many of the biggest
events and festivals of Bretagne, which made the product quickly associated with the tradition
of the region.
The product: in itself, cola drink is not something traditional in Bretagne. And yet, Breizh
Cola managed to make it appear as if it were part of it. For example, one of our interviewees
(Corentin, Appendix n°3) was surprised when he learnt that Breizh Cola was so young (2002),
he imagined it was older, which means he thought it was embedded in the regional culture of
Bretagne for longer than that. It managed to create traditions among Breton people.
The packaging: the word “Breizh” is written in big letters, very visible, and the slogan is
also to be found on the bottles, which reminds of the Breton origins of the product. The bottle
is also shaped in the form of beer bottles more than cola bottles, which makes it closer to the
Brasserie Lancelot’s other products, and makes it closer to Breton traditional products. On some
bottles also appears a compass, which reminds of navigation and sea, both at the core of Breton
identity, like many of our interviewees mentioned when asked what they thought of when they
heard the word “Bretagne” (most having mentioned “the sea” or “ships”, see Appendix N°9).
The colors: there might be a point where the Breton aspect is not being felt very strongly.
Grégoire (Appendix N°7) said he was disappointed that the colors were those of Coca Cola,
red and white, instead of using for example black and white stripes like the Breton regional
flag (see Image N°4 below).
IMAGE N°4: Breton regional flag.

The target audience: the product is clearly destined for Breton people. We see it for
instance in the use of the Breton language: there are sentences on the bottles listing the
ingredients in Breton or given the indication that the drink needs be served fresh. We also see
it in the different advertisements, which use the image of a Breton grandmother wearing
traditional clothes and the picture of the beacon that reminds again of the sea. This caricature
is telltale for not only Breton people themselves, but also to French people from other regions,
and shows clearly both the origins and the target audience of the product.
This result was expected since this product is branded with regional branding methods, and
we can see how it managed to create traditions thanks to it and a strong regional identity.
26
5.1.2. Fun
The other big aspect of Breizh Cola’s brand identity appears to be fun. The brand is playing
on puns (“phare ouest”), on funny pictures of the old lady ready for a dual with her two bottles
of Breizh Cola, or the bottles wearing cow-boy hats, or D-Day replayed in Breton fashion for
the arrival in Paris. The tone is off the wall, obviously not serious and trying to create a sense
of amusement and conviviality with consumers. They make fun of the clichés of Bretagne, but
never give in to offensive jokes, and tease the pride of Breton people about their region: for
example for April’s fool, they said “Vive le beurre doux”, meaning “All praise unsalted butter”,
while Bretagne is famous for its salted butter, and many comments on the Facebook posts were
going with the joke in an ironic way to say this is heresy or a “Normand sense of humor”. They
play a lot with their consumers and with pop culture to create funny images that use recent
movies combined with their products (see Appendix N°8). In all, Breizh Cola does not appear
as serious as Coca Cola or Pepsi Cola, they play it cool and fun, keeping in touch with their
consumers, which they can do because they are a small brand.
5.1.3. Challenger spirit
The final aspect of the brand is its challenger spirit. Although Breizh Cola knows it is a
small brand that stands no chance against Coca Cola, it does not hesitate to be bold and daring.
This is mostly seen in the advertising for D-Day Breizh Cola version, which uses all the codes
reminding of the introduction of Coca Cola in France in 1945 with the arrival of American G.I.s,
and which took place in 2013 almost under the very nose of Coca Cola’s Paris headquarters.
The whole “Far West” parody also represents a mockery towards Coca Cola and the American
Far West, stating clearly that Breizh Cola positions itself as a local competitor and challenger
that can do as well as the Giant. Unlike some other cola drinks, Breizh Cola is a competitor for
Coca Cola, though on a small scale only. But it managed to outrun Pepsi in Bretagne in sales,
and has forced Coca Cola France to design specific advertising campaigns for Bretagne so as
to avoid losing market shares to Breizh Cola.
5.2. BREIZH COLA’S BRAND IMAGE
In this sub-section, we will present the results concerning the image that interviewees have
of Breizh Cola, differentiating between Bretons and non-Bretons. In general, we can say that
interviewees found Breizh Cola to be very similar to Coca Cola, both Bretons and non-
Bretons: Patrice believed that “It is however very close to the real bottles of Coca Cola. I think
it’s relatively close in terms of packaging, in terms of design […] The American Far West, the
Breton “Phare Ouest”, Bretagne is west of France, so yes, there is a similarity, yes indeed”
(Appendix N°2), Corentin agrees that “It looks a lot like Coca Cola, it’s the basic principle. It
tastes rather similar. Visually, well, it looks a lot like Coca Cola, same color, same typing”
(Appendix N°3). Sometimes it was appreciated, like for Emmanuel: “It makes me think of the
most famous brands and it clearly sets the tone, in competition, to say we’re capable of doing
something as good, even better, locally” (Appendix N°4), but most of the time, it was seen as a
negative point: “It makes me think more of western and other kind of b******* like that, which
is far from the idea of Bretagne” (Sébastien, Appendix N°6), “This association with the
American Far West makes me think more of an imitation than a really different product”
27
(Aleksandra, Appendix N°5), “No individuality, no emphasis of the product […] It’s an
imitation, a counterfeit, no original idea” (Grégoire, Appendix N°7).
5.2.1. FOR BRETON PEOPLE
The first thing that can be said is that Breizh Cola is not top of mind when it comes to sodas
for Bretons. The top of mind remains Coca Cola: “Coca-Cola“, “Coca-Cola, it’s the first thing
that comes to my mind“ (Appendices N°2 and 3), and only when asked what other brands they
know did they mention Breizh Cola. They know about the brand mostly for having seen it in
bars, restaurants and on the shelves of supermarkets, or because “it is very well known in
Bretagne, actually. Everybody knows about it, it’s in all shops. Besides, it’s produced in
Bretagne, not far from my place. Therefore it has a rather good reputation” (Corentin,
Appendix N°3). The image that emerged was mostly that of a Breton product: “it’s a home
produce […] it has a special appeal because it’s made here, by people from here” (Patrice,
Appendix N°2), and also that it was a “funny, nice” product (Corentin, Appendix N°3), with a
personality that would be described as “rather funny [that does not] take itself seriously,
because it knows it’s second degree humor. It’s here to amuse people, and people like it because
it makes them laugh a bit” (Corentin, Appendix N°3).
A sense of Breton pride could also be found in their discourses: “I would tend to buy more
Breizh Cola [compared to other cola drinks] because I am Breton and I think it is… Well, for
starters it’s a product that makes Bretons work, you see, it’s a bit chauvinistic, but that’s how
it is” (Corentin, Appendix N°3), a sense of recognition of the product being Breton: “the
intent to put the word “Breith” in the name of the product, for starters, is to inform clearly
consumers that it’s a product made in Bretagne” (Patrice, Appendix N°2) and finally some
pride for the product being distributed in France, about which we will discuss more in Part 5.4.
Concerning the Breton aspect, there are however some nuances: if Patrice (Appendix N°2)
seems to think that “[Breizh Cola] can be a part of [Breton cultural identity and traditional
products]”, although there are other products typically Bretons, such as “cookies, drinks, beer,
Breton whisky and cider”, Corentin is more nuanced, saying it is “not yet” a part of Breton
cultural identity, “because it is not very well known in France […] It is known in Bretagne, so
a little bit. But, in the Breton cultural identity among Bretons only. Not in the rest of France,
because it is not yet known. It’s not at the level of salted butter or Kouign Aman” (Appendix
N°3).
What could be lacking in our interviews concerning this brand image of Breton consumers
is the idea of challenger spirit of Breizh Cola. Our two interviewees did not mention this aspect,
but the relatively limited sample could explain this absence. However, in our netnography on
the website of Ciao, many posts about the product which were written by Breton people as well
showed pride on the product being a site of resistance against the giant American company,
and were promoting Breizh Cola by making a reference to Astérix and Obélix and their
resistance to the imperial “invader”. As Corentin explained as well, it created jobs for Bretons,
so it’s a good thing in the local economy.
It looks like there is a proper congruence between Breizh Cola’s brand identity and its
brand image among Breton people. Indeed, we saw that they recognize the funny aspect of
the brand and that they recognize its Breton identity, even though it is still very young and could
not be associated yet with traditional Breton culture, and also its challenger spirit against the
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domination of Coca Cola. It is not a product our interviewees identified themselves to, but
considering cola drinks are not their favorite beverages, it can be understood that they don’t
feel connected to it, though Corentin said that since the product identifies itself to Bretagne and
so does he, he feels a bit connected to the product, despite not drinking it. Moreover, Coca Cola
remains the top of mind brand in Bretagne.
5.2.2. FOR NON-BRETON PEOPLE
Same as for Bretons, Coca Cola was the top of mind brand for soda drinks. In our sample,
half of the people did not know anything about Breizh Cola, while the other half knew about it,
one because he lived in Bretagne for three years. If we consider also the netnography on Ciao’s
website, we see that many of the non-Bretons posting a comment ignored the existence of
Breizh Cola before going to Bretagne, and discovered it there with surprise. Many people
outside of Bretagne therefore seem to be unaware of the existence of this product, though it
seems that people living in regions where such regional cola drinks exist may be more aware.
When asked what they understood when hearing “Breizh Cola”, interviewees correctly
deduced that it was a cola drink made in Bretagne (though some confused Breizh with Brest,
despite the consequence being the same, as Brest is a city in Bretagne). They correctly
interpreted the name, which proves to be efficient in conveying its message and origins: “Cola,
you think of Coca Cola or Pepsi Cola, so it must be a soda, something equivalent, I suppose”
(Emmanuel, Appendix N°4), “I don’t know, a cola made in Bretagne, in Brest, in Finistère. A
local cola […] an attempt to, err, make a Breton cola” (Aleksandra, Appendix N°5).
Concerning the funny aspect of the brand identity, it was mitigated. If Emmanuel was
completely convinced “I like the pun aspect, the funny side, this, I like it, the humor […] it’s
fun” (Appendix N°4), Aleksandra was more nuanced: “recycling, funny… but a bit wheezy, I
think […] imitation, then… good try, funny, but well…” (Appendix N°5). Sébastien and
Grégoire did not mention the funny aspect and were apparently not liking a lot the advertising.
As we said in the introduction of this section, most interviewees said that Breizh Cola was
an imitation, and non-Bretons were very critical of this aspect, much more than Bretons who
believed it to be a parody: “this association of the American Far West, it makes me think more
of an imitation than to a really different product” (Aleksandra, Appendix N°5), and she talks a
lot about an “attempt” and an “imitation”, a “recycling”. Concerning Sébastien, he is skeptical
about the use of Far West imagery for Bretagne: “the one with the western is weird, because
they seem to detach themselves of this image [of Bretagne], and I don’t know what they’re
trying to do with it […] it’s rather weird, because it makes me think more of western and other
stuff like that, which is pretty far from the idea of Bretagne” (Appendix N°6). And finally,
Grégoire is very negative about that aspect: “no individuality, no emphasis of the product, it’s
a copy, a counterfeit, no original idea […] because of the packaging, I first through it was a
copy of Coca Cola […] If you want to do a Breton cola, then you might as well put forward the
fact it’s French and not make it a pale copy of the American Giant” (Appendix N°7). In the
netnography as well, some people tackled this aspect by saying Bretons are just being
chauvinistic and priding themselves on a mere copy of what Americans do.
However, what emerges in their discourse is the challenger spirit, compared to Breton
interviewees. Emmanuel describes the brand personality as “a bit rebel […] it sets clearly the
local tone and pretention […] it makes me think of the most famous brands and it clearly sets
29
the tone, saying we are in competition with them, but we are capable of doing something as
good or even better, locally” (Appendix N°4). “Yes, it’s good, it’s good to launch it. The
domination of Coca Cola and Pepsi and other American products, yes, in a way, it’s good there
are local products” (Aleksandra, Appendix N°5). Even the very critical Grégoire recognizes it
as a good idea: “It’s an original idea, it can put forward a region, and if they have a recipe
that’s not a copy of that of the American giant, with a difference in tastes, it allows to develop
an industry” (Appendix N°7).
In all, the congruence between brand identity and brand image is poorer here than for
Bretons. It was expected, since non-Breton people are a lot less familiar with the brand. They
did not find the brand as funny, though it remained rather amusing in the end. They did consider
the product as having a challenger spirit and were favorable to the idea of a local Breton cola
drink to fight the monopoly, but with the limits of critics about the brand being a “pale copy”
of the American Coca Cola, which deprived the brand of its originality and appeal. They were
hoping for more unicity in the product, with Grégoire criticizing mostly the colors, or
Emmanuel and Aleksandra hoping for a difference in taste and in the ingredients. The Breton
aspect was mitigated due to this assimilation to the American Far West, which made the product
appear more like an imitation (Aleksandra, Grégoire and Sébastien) than a parody (Emmanuel)
in many cases.
5.3. BREIZH COLA’S BRAND TERRITORY
This aspect was not really tackled in the interviews, but more in the analysis of the brand
and its website. The current products of Breizh Cola are: Breizh Cola, Breizh Cola Zéro, Breizh
Cola Stévia, Breizh Cola Sugarless, Breizh Thé Glacé, Breizh Agrum and Breizh Lim’ (for
lemonade), which are all beverages, all sodas but not all cola drinks. It therefore appears that
the brand territory for Breizh Cola concerns soda drinks in general, extending to non-cola
beverages like iced tea or lemonade. It is also consistent with the fact that the Brasserie Lancelot
owns the brand and produces beverages, though alcoholic ones. However, most interviewees
did not know about this ownership. It would therefore be logic to believe that alcoholic
beverages under the brand Breizh Cola would not be legitimate, just like non-alcoholic
beverages would be weird under the name Brasserie Lancelot. This standalone brand of Breizh
Cola has allowed Brasserie Lancelot to diversify its brand territory by creating a new name that
is not necessarily associated to beers in the minds of consumers. When Breton people learnt
that Brasserie Lancelot was the owner, they did not show any sign of shock, perhaps some
surprise, but it did not appear to them that it was illegitimate or inconsistent. The brand
territory therefore seems rather precise with soda drinks in general, which leaves some
room for manoeuver to the brand to launch new soda drinks in the future.
5.4. BREIZH COLA’S EXTENSION STRATEGY
In this sub-section, we focus on presenting the results of our questions concerning the
geographical extension strategy of the brand, with questions on whether the idea is good,
whether interviewees think it might be a success, and finally, if they think it might be a threat
to the cultural regional identity of Breizh Cola, distinguishing again between Bretons and non-
Bretons.
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5.4.1. PERCEIVED BY BRETON PEOPLE
Concerning Breton people, they were very positive about the extension strategy of Breizh
Cola outside of Bretagne, either in a pragmatic way: “it’s a marketing op’, to develop the
brand, increase its awareness. If Breizh Cola was not known before in Paris, it’s the best way
to increase awareness and to try to increase the sales […] if Breizh Cola intends to develop
itself to the national level, and why not international, I have nothing to argue against that”
(Patrice, Appendix N°2), but also on a more emotional level: “It gives a nice image of Bretagne.
I don’t think they sold their soul, like some might think, by selling to the “invader”, as one
might say” (Corentin, Appendix N°3). To them, it was the opportunity to develop the brand
and make the Breton culture and products known in the other regions, so a pride for them.
However, when asked about the chances of success of the product in the other regions, they
were more skeptical: “To buy Breizh Cola, you have at least to be a minimum sensitive to
Bretagne […] I would tend to think that, no matter where in France, a majority of those buying
Breizh Cola […] would be a majority of Bretons [who would buy it] out of solidarity, out of
habit, or because they are happy to find a Breton product at the other end of France […] I think
it will be difficult to touch the other people, given that everybody is so used to Coca Cola and
there is a noticeable difference between Breizh Cola and Coca Cola…” (Corentin, Appendix
N°3). It seems that they are aware that the product, being a regional product, would have
little chances of success outside of Bretagne, because it is branded to speak to the heart and
mind of Bretons. So it could find its consumers outside of Bretagne, but they would be Breton
impatriates. Corentin and Patrice were not aware of the extension of the product to Paris or
other regions, and Corentin said: “I don’t particularly look for it, but I don’t think I’ve seen it
in supermarkets in Compiègne. So I think it’s like salted butter, the further you go from
Bretagne, the less you find it” (Appendix N°3).
Finally, it does not appear that there would be a threat to the identity of the product if it were
to be found outside of Bretagne: “as long as it is still produced in Bretagne, there is no reason
for it to remain in Bretagne” (Corentin, Appendix N°3). They do not seem to think branding
the product outside of its birth region would pose a danger to its cultural regional identity,
as long as the production is in Bretagne and that it is always branded as a Breton product.
5.4.2. PERCEIVED BY NON-BRETON PEOPLE
Let us now take a look at what non-Bretons think of this extension strategy in the rest of
France. The idea was perceived positively by respondents: “Yes, it’s interesting, it’s good, yes.
It’s to show that there is no need of being a giant multinational company to be capable of
making interesting products, and if in addition it is produced in a smart way, I think there is a
local card to play, for the local economy […] We drink wine in all of France, and wine is not
produced in all of France, so is cider, so sure […] I would also say that even if it means that
people have to intoxicate themselves with sodas, they should better do it with French products!”
(Emmanuel, Appendix N°4), “I have nothing to argue against, it’s a good idea, I think, as long
as they make satisfying products, which they do apparently […] I don’t see a reason why it
should remain in Bretagne” (Sébastien, Appendix N°6), “It’s a good idea to make a sparkling
beverage like a Breton cola, a Basque cola, a Finnish cola, from the Creuse, it they want to,
why not. It’s a good idea […] they develop their industry” (Grégoire, Appendix N°7). The idea
is well perceived for several reasons: because it is a way to develop the local economy and
31
industry; because it is a way to struggle against the hegemony of Coca Cola; because there
is no reason for a product to stay in a single region if it is good quality.
However, Aleksandra was not so positive: “by principle, it has a Breton connotation, not
French, so it should stay in Bretagne, as a local product […] As it is made today, it’s typically
the Breton image, Breton, Breton, Breton, so let it remain there, and fine with it” (Appendix
N°5). Yet, she was not totally against this idea: “If it’s a good product, yes. I told you, I would
see it more in Bretagne, but if really it can be found here and there and that in the end it’s a
good product, then let it be present in France else than just in Bretagne” (Appendix N°5).
Concerning the chances of success of Breizh Cola outside of Bretagne, the answer was often
that it could work among Breton impatriates, but that it would be difficult to sell the
product to other French people if they have no interest in Bretagne. For example : “There are
many Bretons which are, how to say, scattered a bit everywhere in France, as well as you have
many people visiting Bretagne and who are interested in Bretagne. I don’t know to what extent,
but I think it would be something that would have an echo outside of Bretagne” (Emmanuel,
Appendix N°4), “There are many Bretons outside of France, so maybe as a niche product, here
and there, why not, in pancake houses, maybe that kind of places, they could propose that, but
I don’t see how one can buy that in the south-west, I don’t know, it doesn’t fit” (Aleksandra,
Appendix N°5). Grégoire, coming back on his idea of Breizh Cola having no originality, adds:
“[they won’t have success] simply because as long as they will be a pale copy of Coca Cola
and will not be able to differentiate themselves, I don’t see how they could have success against
the giant that Coca Cola is” (Appendix N°7).
Finally, except Aleksandra who thought that a Breton product should remain in Bretagne,
they mostly considered that the product would not be harmed in its cultural regional
identity if it were to extend to other regions: “If it is produced according the recipe from
Bretagne, it changes nothing to me” (Grégoire, Appendix N°7), “If they manage to keep the
good Breton image, I don’t see why extending it would change anything” (Sébastien, Appendix
N°6).
So if the geographical extension strategy of the brand is considered rather positively by most
respondents (which is confirmed in the netnography, where on Ciao, many posts regretted that
the product was only available in Bretagne), they were also skeptical about its chances of
success among other targets than Breton impatriates in France, but did not think in general that
this extension would harm the cultural brand identity of Breizh Cola.
5.4.3. BREIZH COLA’S LEGITIMATION DISCOURSE OF BRAND EXTENSION
Most of the legitimation discourse that was found on the internet concerning the extension
of Breizh Cola outside of Bretagne was about the arrival in Paris, and it was justified because
Paris is seen as the biggest Breton city in France, with 1 million Breton inhabitants. This shows
that the brand has answered the question about its legitimacy by saying it answers the demand
from Bretons in Paris, still tackling Bretons as its main target, in a way to provide them with
products they love and are used to buying out of solidarity, habit or nostalgia. It seems that its
strategy is mostly to target Breton impatriates and not necessarily other French people, but as
Bretons can go anywhere in France, it sounds legitimate that the brand should extend its
distribution network so as to satisfy their wants.
32
5.5. OTHER RESULTS
Concerning the appreciation of Breizh Cola by respondents, we have to distinguish between

the ones who have tried Breizh Cola and those who did not.
Among our six respondents, four had had the chance to taste Breizh Cola. The answers that
were given when they were asked if they liked it and how it was compared to Coca Cola and
Pepsi Cola were the following: “I drank Breizh Cola a few times, but I prefer Coca Cola, the
real one” (Patrice, Appendix N°2), which also suggests that Breizh Cola is not a “real” cola,
just a substitute to the original one; “Breizh Cola is no worse, no better. It’s like the others”
(Corentin, Appendix N°3); “It was a classic cola. Nothing particular to say about it” (Sébastien,
Appendix N°6); “It’s not as good as Coca, and as for Pepsi… I haven’t drunk Pepsi in a long
time, but I think it [Breizh Cola] is worse than Pepsi” (Grégoire, Appendix N°7). In the end,
out of our four respondents who tried it, Breizh Cola was not considered exceptionally good,
at best it was like Coca or Pepsi cola, at worst it was not as tasty. On Ciao website, the comments
about the taste were mitigated, with some people arguing it was better than the other cola drinks,
some thinking it was exactly the same, and finally some who did not like it at all. The difference
often came from the caramel taste, whether people liked it or not, and from the sparkling
aspect, some thinking it was too bubbly and others that it was not enough with bubbles fading
away quickly.
Among our remaining two respondents who did not have the chance to taste the product, we
asked them whether they would be willing to try it, based on the other elements they had
available (design, advertising…). Emmanuel (Appendix N°4) would beforehand classify Breizh
Cola like any other cola drink: “I would probably taste it, but as I will probably classify it in
the […] same category”. He says the composition is important: “I’d like to see with what it is
made. If it’s the same kind of products with sugar and chemicals, I’ll classify it in the same
category and I would not drink it, or very rarely”. Since he doesn’t like very much cola drinks,
he would not “want to” try, but “if the occasion presented itself, for example if I am with people
who drink it, I would ask to try, yes. I would take a look at the bottle, at the list of ingredients
[…] but out of curiosity, yes”. And of course, the taste would be important, but not for himself:
“To me, if it’s a clone of Coca Cola, I don’t mind, you know. But if I have to give that to children,
then, if it’s not the same taste as Coca Cola, kids will probably be reluctant to the idea of
drinking it”. As for Aleksandra (Appendix N°5), she is not a big “fan of cola by principle”, so
she would not desperately want to try the product, but “out of curiosity, I think, why not, to see
what it tastes like, if it’s different”, but the main reason she would buy it instead of Coca Cola
is not the ingredients list like Emmanuel, but rather to “change, to break the monopoly”, but it
would also have to taste nice and be “less sugary”.
6. GENERAL DISCUSSION
In this final section, we will finally carry out a discussion of the findings of Section 5 and
give our answers to our research questions, before giving leads and suggestions for additional
research in the future. Let us remember our research questions for this paper:
did it legitimize this extension strategy?
people? Can Breizh Cola be successful outside of Bretagne?
33
extension?
6.1. DISCUSSION OF RESULTS
Breizh Cola’s brand identity is rather clearly defined in three aspects: Breton roots, fun
and challenger spirit. This is how it was branded in Bretagne, and also how it was branded
outside of its birth region, which can mostly be seen in the advertising of D-Day. However, the
firm does not spend a lot on communications, and aside from its arrival in Paris, the brand did
not really get marketing activities in the other regions of France. But the main identity remained
in the branding methods. Breizh Cola used Breton characteristics and clichés to convey its
funny and challenging personality outside of Bretagne, but is not very known in France
despite its arrival in Paris in 2013 and its many distribution outlets (see Image N°5 below). So
the answer to our first question is that Breizh Cola stood by the same branding line and strategy
when it started being distributed in France, keeping the same spirit and identity, but despite
these efforts, the product remains (yet) to be discovered by non-Breton consumers.
IMAGE N°5: screenshot of the distribution map of Breizh Cola in France.

This situation is probably due to the lack of means of the brand in terms of advertising and
to the fact that the product remains a regional one that does not connect with non-Bretons.
The perception of this strategy of geographical extension by consumers was rather
positive for Bretons and non-Bretons as well. Indeed, Breton people were rather proud that the
product expanded over France and deemed it a good thing for local economy and the
spreading of the Breton culture in the country. The arrival of this product in the rest of France
34
for non-Breton people was rather an unknown fact for respondents, which for half of them did
not even know the product existed (also because they don’t drink cola beverages a lot). They
were not aware of this extension, but when informed, they mostly reacted positively for
several reasons: development of the French industry and of the local economy, struggle against
the monopoly of American companies, possibility of having a better product in terms of health
and taste…
For all of our respondents, Breizh Cola could have a mitigated success outside of Bretagne.
Indeed, the reasons were the following: the product is deemed an imitation of Coca Cola and
this lack of originality will never make it successful; the product does not taste better than
Coca Cola and people are so used to the taste Coca Cola they would not change; only Bretons
or people with an affinity for Bretagne would purchase this product, out of habit, nostalgia
or solidarity; the product is too regional and would not appeal to non-Bretons. So in the end,
the answer to our question is that Breizh Cola would be able to extend to France in terms of
distribution outlets (as it did), but it would remain a product bought by Breton impatriates
only, because the product is so embedded in regional culture and so unknown that other people
would not buy it, unless out of curiosity to try once. Moreover, let’s keep in mind that other
regional cola drinks exist in other regions of France, and as Corentin mentioned: “In the north
[of France], you have like Chti cola or something, so if Breizh Cola arrived in the shelves next
to Chti Cola, well, an inhabitant from Lille who would decide to buy a regional cola would buy
Chti cola, it’s normal” (Appendix N°3).
In the end, the answer to our fourth question is that Breizh Cola was right in going beyond
the borders of Bretagne, as our respondents reacted positively at this initiative, but it will
probably be successful only as a niche product targeting a very specific audience of Breton
impatriates or Bretagne lovers. Overall, Breizh Cola would finally be perceived as a rather
non-transferable product to the other regions of France, or just to a niche target audience, if
the brand maintains its current strategy of not advertising for the product. Moreover, it would
be difficult for the product to be associated with events or festivals in other regions than
Bretagne, because of a lack of fit between the product and the other regions’ culture. There are
therefore small chances of national success that would propel the brand as a serious competitor
for Coca Cola or Pepsi Cola in France, but it could be a nice product for the niche audiences
of Breton impatriates and Bretagne lovers throughout the country. The product will probably
have more chances of being profitable in Bretagne nonetheless.
Finally, our respondents mostly did not see a problem of threat of dilution of the brand’s
cultural regional identity in this extension strategy, except perhaps for Aleksandra (Appendix
N°5), if the brand is still produced in Bretagne and is branded as a Breton product, with the
same identity it now has. As Corentin said: “The Comté [cheese] is not sold only in the region
of Comté, it would be a pity to do it with Breton products” (Appendix N°3). People would buy
it as a product from Bretagne but imported in the other regions, which is not something
surprising or new since it is done with many other regional products without losing the
identification of the products as being from a specific region.
The problem could remain on the congruence between brand identity and brand image
for non-Bretons. If this congruence was rather strong for Breton people who know about the
product, non-Bretons are mostly not aware of its existence, and when they hear about it, it is
often in Bretagne, when they discover the product for the first time (Ciao website comments),
and they only have the design of the bottle, the colors and the shape to get the brand image,
35
since there is no advertising. Also, to be promoted more efficiently as a Breton product outside
of Bretagne for non-initiated people, perhaps it could be of interest, as Grégoire suggested, to
change the colors of the product to make it appear more Breton and less like an “attempt” or
an “imitation” (Aleksandra, Appendix N°5) of Coca Cola. For having personally been to
Bretagne during the redaction of this paper, I went to supermarkets and found it a bit difficult
to distinguish Breizh Cola from Coca Cola bottles in the shelves, both in terms of colors and
shapes. It might therefore be a good solution to change to black and white colors to differentiate
themselves visually. Moreover, if Breizh Cola were to try to appeal to the non-Breton audience,
it might want to consider “playing on the local card” (Emmanuel, Appendix N°4), to brag on
the made in France aspect to appeal to locavores and people who resent the hegemony of
American companies. This could be a way to reach a broader audience, even if they are not
specifically sensitive to Bretagne. Playing also on the very regional aspect could create a
spillover effect from the image people have from Breton traditional products that could be
transferred to the product. With these precautions, Breizh Cola might consider trying to appeal
to other people than Bretons and become a nationwide product, but it would be difficult
considering the long-lasting hegemony of Coca Cola and the lack of advertising from Breizh
Cola. Moreover, there is fierce competition on the soda market in general, which would increase
the difficulty of Breizh Cola to become successful.
6.2. SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH
As we explained in Part 4.4. with the limitations of our study, further research on the specific
case of Breizh Cola could be carried out on this topic using a more quantitative methodology
to get figures that would confirm or infirm this study’s insights. Also, more in-depth
interviews could be carried out, interrogating respondents on the topic of brand territory and
brand stretchability of Breizh Cola. Also, a tasting test could be carried out for people who
never tried the beverage to get more insights on the taste, design of the bottle, sparkling aspect
and others, to get information on how the product could be branded and if it would please non-
Breton consumers. Finally, we focused in this paper on a regional altercola as an example of a
regional product, but this study is limited in this perspective, and could be extended to studying
an identity altercola or some of the other categories mentioned in Part 2, and of course to other
regional products of different categories.
In a more general perspective concerning regional branding, further research could focus on
a comparison between a successful product that managed to go from being a regional brand
to a national famous brand, and a product that failed in this endeavor, to get insights on the
elements needed for this geographical extension strategy. Focusing on the aspect of brand
community for a regional product going nationwide would also be interesting, in studying how
to go from a very specific target audience with a regional cultural identity to a more
national audience and community while keeping its original identity.
7. CONCLUSION
In conclusion, we have seen that regional branding is a form of branding that can work
when it manages to get the products embedded in the local culture and which can create a
community around it. We have seen that, as in the case of Breizh Cola, a regional brand at some
point can wish to extend its geographical distribution to the rest of the country, and will face
36
several challenges, such as lack of advertising means, the obstacle of established competition
and different cultural identities in other regions. The main challenge is to manage the shift
from being a regional product only available in its birth region and speaking only to a narrow
target audience to a product available nationwide and speaking to everyone. This is particularly
difficult because of the cultural identity of the brand, and there is a risk of either losing its
identity to try to become mainstream, or to stay on the regional aspect and not appeal to
many people in the end.
In the case of Breizh Cola, we have seen that people considered the product would not lose
its identity by spreading in France, because its appeal would precisely be that it is a regional
product enhancing the made in France and fighting against the monopoly of Coca Cola,
with perhaps the possibility of having a different taste and composition. The opportunity exists
for Breizh Cola to go nationwide: it is already being distributed everywhere but dramatically
lacks awareness. The product would most probably appeal to Breton impatriates and Breton
lovers, but if the brand plays the card of local production and anti-Coca Cola, it might also get
to seduce locavores, anti-globalization and anti-American capitalism consumers, playing
on today’s society’s trends of ecology and local consumption. It might therefore manage to
create itself a market share, but it would probably need to redefine its packaging to make it
appear more like a Breton product and not an imitation of Coca Cola. Creating advertising
could also be a way to create brand awareness when capitalizing on regional events might not
be as effective as in Bretagne. If carefully managed, this ongoing shift could work, if Breizh
Cola is willing to increase its target audience beyond Breton impatriates, that is. And we saw
that they seem to legitimize their expansion today by saying they answer to the demand of
Breton impatriates in France, so changing their strategy might prove difficult if they want to
target other audience groups.
Finally, this case is interesting is as much as it presents a telltale example of regional
branding for regional products that are faced with the challenge of going national products, but
this extension being very recent, we cannot yet give results on its success, and can only
recommend future research to focus on other brands or to study again this same product in a
few years to see how Breizh Cola managed this shift.
37
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40
APPENDICES
APPENDIX 1 – INTERVIEW GUIDE
As the interviewees were French, the questionnaire was originally in French and was translated
below in English in a care for consistency among the document.
Part I: Sodas and Bretagne

1. What is the first sparkling soda brand that comes to your mind?
2. What other brands do you know?
3. What brand(s) do you personally consume? Why?
4. If I tell you “Bretagne”, what are the first things that come to your mind spontaneously?
Part II a: For Bretons people

5. Do you know Breizh Cola? How?
6. What are the associations that come to your mind when I say “Breizh Cola”?
7. When you see the product, what do you think of?
Image N°1 presented to interviewees to show the

product
8. If the brand Breizh Cola had a personality, how would you describe it?
9. What message do you think the brand is trying to convey to its consumers?
10. Do you know who produces Breizh Cola?
11. Do you yourself drink Breizh Cola?
12. (If consumes Breizh Cola personally) Why do you consume Breizh Cola?
41
12 bis. (If does not consume Breizh Cola) Why do you not consume Breizh Cola?
13. (If consumes Breizh Cola) Do you prefer the taste of Coca Cola, Pepsi Cola or Breizh
Cola? Why?
14. (If lives outside Bretagne) Can you buy Breizh Cola outside of Bretagne? Where?
15. (If lives outside Bretagne) Do you buy some? Why?
16. What do you think of the recent arrival of Breizh Cola in Paris? Why?
17. What do you think about this ad?
Image N°2
Advertising
announcing Breizh
Cola’s arrival in
Paris.
18. Do you think Breizh Cola’s should remain a regional product available only in
Bretagne? Why?
19. Do you think there is a community of Breizh Cola’s lovers among Bretons people?
20. Do you feel like Breizh Cola is part of the Breton’s cultural identity?
21. Do you recognize yourself in this brand? Why?
Part II b: For non-Bretons People

22. Do you know Breizh Cola?
23. What associations did you make when you heard me tell that name? What did you think
about?
24. If I show you the product, what does it make you think and feel about?
42
Image N°3
(and N°1
again)
presented to
interviewees to
show them the
product
25. What are (or what were) your first thoughts when you saw these pictures (when you
discovered the product for the first time)?
26. If the brand had a personality, how would you describe it after having seen those two
images?
27. Have you ever tasted Breizh Cola?
28. (If has tried) Did you like the taste? Compared to Coca Cola or Pepsi Cola, which one
do you like most? Why?
29 bis. (If never tried) Would you like to taste one someday? Why?
29. What do you think of the idea of a Breton cola? How do you feel about that?
30. Would you like this typically French cola to be available elsewhere in France, outside
Bretagne? Why?
31. Do you think this product would be successful outside of Bretagne? Why?
32. Would you buy it yourself? Why?
33. Did you know it was available in Paris?
34. What do you think of this ad? (showing the same ad as for Bretons, Image N°2)
35. What do you think about Breizh Cola”s arrival in Paris? Why?
36. Do you recognize yourself in Breizh Cola? Why?
43
APPENDIX N°2 – INTERVIEW WITH PATRICE (BRETON)
(All interviews were preceded by a few minutes off-record of explanation of the topic
and of presentation of the author and the methodology for the interview)
C stands for Casseline and P stands for Patrice. Interview duration: 12 minutes.
C: Entretien N°1 avec Patrice. Bonjour Patrice, comment vas-tu ?

P : Bonjour Casseline, je vais bien, et toi ?
C : Très bien. Alors, euh, je vais t’interviewer sur les sodas qu’il y a en Bretagne. Quelle serait
la première marque de soda qui te viendrait à l’esprit ?
P : Euh… Coca-Cola, c’est la première chose qui me vient à l’esprit.
C : D’accord, est-ce qu’il y a d’autres marques que tu connais ?
P : Euh… Oui, du Sprite, du Seven Up, du Fanta, euh… Et j’en passe. Et Breizh Cola aussi,
qu’on retrouve dans les magasins par ici.
C : Quelles sont les marques que toi tu consommes personnellement ?
P : Euh… Coca-Cola, je prends pas autre chose. Quand je prends des sodas, je prends que celui-
là.
C : Pourquoi ?
P : Hum… Tout ce qui est sucré, fin, à base de euh… De jus de fruits, ou voulant se rapprocher
du jus de fruits, j’aime pas, donc je préfère prendre du Coca-Cola, fin, je prends jamais de Fanta.
C : D’accord. Bon, si je te dis le mot « Bretagne », qu’est-ce qui te vient spontanément à
l’esprit ?
P : … Bretagne… (réfléchit longuement) C’est pas très spontané (rit). Pour le coup, Bretagne…
Bah c’est mon pays, euh… Comment je peux te le définir… La mer, la mer, parce qu’on est
entourés par la mer.
C : D’autres associations ?
P : Agriculture, c’est un pays d’agriculture, y a beaucoup de verdure.
C : Hum, hum ?
P : Euh… C’est un pays où il fait bon vivre.
C : D’accord. Autre chose ? Ou c’est bon ?
P : C’est bon.
C : OK. Alors, tu m’as cité le Breizh Cola tout à l’heure, comment est-ce que tu connais cette
marque?
P : Bah pour l’avoir vue dans les magasins ou pour l’avoir vue dans les bars, parce qu’ils la
proposent dans les bars quand tu veux aller boire un coup dans les bars par exemple, ils peuvent
te proposer ça.
C : OK. Et, euh, quand tu entends le mot « Breizh Cola », quelles sont les associations d’idées
que tu viennent à l’esprit ? A quoi tu penses en premier ?
P : (réfléchit) Ben que c’est un produit du terroir. Quand je vais faire des courses, régulièrement
je peux voir dans les supermarchés dans les vitrines des produits du terroir, euh… Donc euh,
c’est, ça a un attrait particulier parce que c’est fait chez nous, c’est fait par des gens de chez
nous, euh… Que ça attire l’attention.
C : D’accord. Hum… Tu saurais me décrire à quoi ça ressemble physiquement une bouteille de
Breizh Cola ?
44
P : Euh… Là non, honnêtement, je saurais pas te dire quelle allure a la bouteille, ni la forme du
logo, ni la couleur. Je, je suis obligé de tricher là (va voir sur internet) pour pouvoir te donner
une réponse. Hum… OK, bon effectivement y a du rouge sur l’étiquette, ça… Breizh Cola…
Euh.. Bah y a différentes formes de bouteilles, mais on va dire que pour le package, euh… C’est
quand même très proche des vraies bouteilles de Coca-Cola. Moi je trouve que c’est
relativement proche en termes de packaging, en termes de design.
C : OK, est-ce que tu as déjà vu des publicités pour Breizh Cola ? Sur internet ou en extérieur ?
P : Là comme ça, j’ai pas souvenir. Que ce soit sur internet, la télévision ou au cinéma, euh…
Non, j’ai pas souvenir d’avoir vu de la pub pour Breizh Cola.
C : OK. Est-ce que tu arriverais, si la marque avait une personnalité, est-ce que tu arriverais à
décrire cette personnalité pour la marque de Breizh Cola ou pas ?
P : Non, je vois pas. Symboliser une marque par une personne euh… Non, là je vois pas.
C : D’accord. Est-ce que tu as un peu une idée du message que la marque essaierait de
transmettre à ses consommateurs ?
P : (réfléchit) L’intention de mettre le mot Breizh dans le nom du produit, déjà, c’est pour
informer déjà clairement les consommateurs que c’est un produit qui est fabriqué en Bretagne.
Euh… C’est évident par le nom.
C : Et par leur slogan ? Tu connais peut-être, c’est « le cola du phare ouest ».
P : Ouais, effectivement, y a un jeu de mots, un jeu de mots avec le Far West.
C : Est-ce que ça te parle un peu ?
P : Euh… Oui, oui, effectivement, bah le Far West américain, le phare ouest breton, la Bretagne
est à l’ouest de la France, on va dire. Euh… Oui y a une similitude, oui, effectivement.
C : Est-ce que tu sais qui produit le Breizh Cola ?
P : Qui le produit ? Ah non, là j’en ai absolument, j’ai pas la moindre idée de qui le produit.
C : OK. Alors, comme ça je t’apprendrais quelque chose, c’est la brasserie Lancelot, si ça te
parle plus.
P : La Brasserie Lancelot ? Ils, euh, ils font aussi de la bière, non ?
C : Ils font aussi des bières, oui.
P : OK.
C : Tu as donc testé Coca-Cola et d’autres produits, tu préfères le goût du Coca ? Tu as dit que
tu achetais celui-là.
P : Ouais.
C : Tu as pu tester les deux, du coup ?
P : Oui, oui, il m’est arrivé de boire du Breizh Cola, mais je préfère le Coca, le vrai.
C : Tu saurais dire pourquoi, dans le goût ? Ce qui est différent ?
P : Euh… Non, pas là comme ça, parce que ça fait très longtemps que j’ai pas bu de Breizh
Cola, il faudrait, pour avoir, pour te donner la meilleure réponse, faudrait que j’ai un verre de
chaque boisson sous la main, et que j’essaye.
C : OK, mais en tout cas c’est vraiment le goût qui fait que tu prends du Coca, c’est bien ça ?
P : Oui.
C : Y a pas d’autres raisons à côté ?
P : Non, y a pas d’autre raison.
C : OK. Est-ce qu’il y a, je sais pas, peut-être parmi tes collègues, tes amis, des gens qui
consomment du Breizh Cola, est-ce que tu sais un petit peu ?
P : Non, je saurais pas te dire, je sais pas.
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C : OK. Je te parlais tout à l’heure (hors entretien) de l’arrivée de Breizh Cola à Paris. Est-ce
que tu as une opinion à ce sujet-là ? Qu’est-ce que tu en penses, du fait qu’ils se soient exportés
en dehors de la Bretagne ?
P : Effectivement, je vois des affiches sur internet. Ben c’est un coup de marketing, pour euh,
développer la marque, se faire connaître. Si Breizh Cola n’était pas connu auparavant sur Paris,
c’est le meilleur moyen effectivement de, euh, ben de se faire connaître pour essayer
d’augmenter les ventes.
C : Donc c’est plutôt positif pour toi ? Tu penses que c’est une bonne chose ?
P : Ah, complètement, oui, oui !
C : Donc tu ne penses pas que le Breizh Cola devrait rester un produit régional qui serait
disponible uniquement par exemple dans, dans, dans la région de Bretagne ?
P : Ah non, si Breizh Cola a l’intention de se développer au niveau national, et peut-être plus
au niveau international, moi j’ai absolument rien contre.
C : D’accord, OK. Est-ce que tu penses que le Breizh Cola fait partie de l’identité culturelle
bretonne ou pas ? Parce que ça existe déjà depuis 2002, ça s’est pas mal développé. J’ai vu des
chiffres, ça a quand même dépassé Pepsi sur le marché. Ça a quand même un bon engouement,
j’ai pu voir, mais est-ce que tu as la même sensation, est-ce que tu as l’impression que ça peut
faire partie de cette identité ?
P : Euh… Oui, ça peut en faire partie, oui. Y a d’autres produits typiquement breton, je pense
à des gâteaux, des boissons, des boissons aussi, y a de la bière, des whiskys bretons, y a du cidre
breton également, y a déjà tout une gamme de produits… Euh…
C : Est-ce que tu penses que ces produits sont plus représentatifs que le Breizh Cola, par
exemple ?
P : Moi je les vois tous à égalité, je les mets tous à égalité.
C : D’accord. Est-ce que tu ressentirais de la fierté si le Breizh Cola dépassait Paris et continuait
de s’étendre en France ? Est-ce qu’en tant que Breton ça te marquerait ou sans plus ?
P : Euh… Si, ça me marquerait, ben si.
C : Est-ce que tu te reconnais dans cette marque ou pas du tout, puisque tu ne la consommes
pas vraiment ?
P : Non, je ne la consomme pas, donc… Me reconnaître dans cette boisson, non, pas vraiment.
C : OK, merci beaucoup pour tes réponses et pour ton temps !
46
APPENDIX N°3 – INTERVIEW WITH CORENTIN (BRETON)
C stands for Casseline and Co stands for Corentin. Interview duration: 15 minutes.
C: Entretien N°2 avec Corentin. Bonjour Corentin.

Co : Bonjour.
C : Donc tu es Breton, n’est-ce pas ?
Co : Oui.
C : Parfait. Pourrais-tu me dire quelle est la première marque de soda gazeux qui te vient à
l’esprit ?
Co : Coca-Cola.
C : Ok, est-ce qu’il y en a d’autres ensuite qui te viennent ?
Co : Ben par rapport au fait qu’on est dans un entretien qui parle de la Bretagne, ben Breizh
Cola, évidemment. Sinon, y a Fanta, Sprite… Oasis, ah non gazeux on a dit.
C : C’est pas grave.
Co : Voilà.
C : OK. Et quelles sont les marques que toi personnellement tu consommes ?
Co : Euh je consomme pas beaucoup de soda, mais plutôt du Fanta, ou de l’Orangina.
C : Pourquoi ?
Co : Parce que je trouve ça bon.
C : Tout simplement.
Co : Voilà.
C : OK. Si je te dis le mot « Bretagne », qu’est-ce qu’il te vient à l’esprit spontanément ?
Co : Euh… Mer, beurre salé, menhir… Euh… Cool (rit). Euh… Danse. Surtout la mer, en fait.
C: Surtout la mer, OK. Donc, tu m’as cité le Breizh Cola, comment est-ce que tu connais cette
marque ?
Co : Parce que c’est très connu en Bretagne, en fait. Tout le monde connaît ça, y en a partout
dans les magasins. Et en plus c’est fabriqué en Bretagne, pas très loin de chez moi. Du coup ça
a plutôt bonne réputation.
C : Quand tu entends le mot « Breizh Cola », qu’est-ce qui te vient à l’esprit, à quoi tu penses ?
Co : Je trouve ça rigolo. Euh… Je trouve ça… Sympa, fin, je sais pas trop quoi en penser, je
trouve ça sympa le principe de euh… Se démarquer comme ça, si on veut.
C : Euh… OK. Est-ce que tu as le produit en tête ? Est-ce que tu le vois visuellement ?
Co : Ouais.
C : Tu pourrais me le décrire ?
Co : Ça ressemble beaucoup à du Coca-Cola, c’est le principe de base. Euh… Ca a un goût
relativement similaire. Au niveau visuel, ben… Qui ressemble vraiment beaucoup à du Coca-
Cola, la même couleur, une écriture très proche. Y a écrit Breizh Cola dessus, avec une police
euh, relativement similaire aussi à celle du Coca-Cola.
C : OK. Tu as vu un petit peu des publicités, enfin, tu sais, des affiches, des publicités sur
internet, pendant les festivals etc… Tu en as déjà vu ?
Co : Non. Je me rappelle d’une très vieille publicité parce que c’est mon père qui m’en avait
parlé, mais Breizh Cola a pas beaucoup de, fin, à ma connaissance, je regarde très peu la télé,
mais à ma connaissance Breizh Cola fait très peu de pub.
C : Oui, c’est vrai.
Co : Parce que en fait, c’est suffisamment connu comme ça, si tu veux.
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C : D’accord.
Co : Je me rappelle d’une vieille pub où ils récupèrent à Carnac, il récupère dans un frigo-
menhir son Breizh Cola à l’intérieur.
C : Je vois le genre (rit).
Co : Mais non, ni pub télé, ni aux festivals ni rien, c’est juste parce que c’est connu que bah, on
connaît, on passe souvent à côté.
C : D’accord. Hum, du coup, si je te demandais, tu vois par exemple si on imaginait que la
marque Breizh Cola était une personne avec une personnalité, comment est-ce que tu la
décrirais ?
Co : Euh… Comment je la décrirais ?
C : Oui, avec des adjectifs que tu utiliserais pour décrire la marque ?
Co : Euh ouais, ouais, bah plutôt… Plutôt rigolote. Genre qui se prend pas forcément au sérieux,
parce qu’elle sait que c’est du second degré, en fait. Elle est là pour amuser les gens, et… Les
gens l’aiment bien parce qu’elle les fait un peu marrer.
C : D’accord, merci. Hum… Est-ce que tu arriverais à me dire quel est selon toi le message que
la marque essaie de transmettre à ses consommateurs ? Par la forme de la bouteille, le nom, le
slogan, les publicités…
Co : Je connais pas le slogan de Breizh Cola.
C : Ah, le slogan c’est le « Cola du Phare Ouest », mais « phare » comme un phare breton.
Co : Ah ouais ! Du coup si, je le connais effectivement. Bah, euh… Chais pas trop quel message
ça essaye de faire passer. Venez acheter des bouteilles?
C: (rit) Effectivement!
Co : Sinon… Bah j’en ai aucune idée, du message qui est véhiculé par ce genre de marque,
étant donné que maintenant ça a été très dispatché. Maintenant y a des sodas partout, y en a
dans le nord de la France, dans les Alpes, ça a été vachement démocratisé, si tu veux. Donc je
sais pas quel genre de message ça essaye de faire passer, à part un message commercial dans le
sens où bah… C’est un peu, c’est ça, venez acheter notre produit, quoi. C’est quand même
l’objectif de base ! Je pense pas qu’il y ait un message indépendantiste derrière, donc euh…
Voilà.
C : OK. Tu me disais que le Breizh Cola est produit pas loin de chez toi, est-ce que tu sais par
qui il est produit?
Co : Euh… Alors, je suis pas sûr, je crois à la base c’était indépendant, par la société Breizh
Cola quoi, mais y avait une rumeur à une époque comme quoi ça avait été racheté par Coca-
Cola, mais je crois que c’est faux. Euh… Bah ouais, c’est la société Breizh Cola qui vend le
Breizh Cola, quoi. Je pense pas que ça a été racheté, en tout cas pas par Coca-Cola.
C : En fait, ça appartient à la Brasserie Lancelot, je sais pas si tu connais.
Co : Ah la bière, ouais je connais.
C : C’est eux qui l’ont développée en 2002.
Co : C’est si récent que ça ? Que en 2002 ?
C : Oui.
Co : Je croyais que c’était plus vieux que ça. Ça marche.
C : Comme quoi ils ont bien réussi leur coup de rendre le produit traditionnel.
Co : Ouais, carrément.
C : Donc toi tu en as déjà goûté du Breizh Cola ?
Co : Oui.
C : Et qu’est-ce que tu en as pensé ? Tu préfères le goût du Pepsi, du Coca-Cola, du Breizh
Cola ?
48
Co : Hum… Alors, je dois dire que, quoi qu’il arrive, sodas Pepsi, Coca-Cola, c’est pas de base
mes boissons préférées, mais bon le Breizh Cola n’est ni pire, ni mieux. Il est comme les autres.
C : T’en consommes pas de toute manière ou est-ce que ça t’arrive en Bretagne d’en boire ?
Co : Non j’en consomme pas, après, euh… Non, c’est vrai que de base, j’aime pas ce genre de
sodas, mais c’est vrai que j’aurais plus tendance à acheter du Breizh Cola par rapport au fait
que je suis breton et que je trouve que c’est…. Fin déjà c’est un produit qui fait bosser des
bretons, tu vois, c’est un peu chauvin mais c’est comme ça (rit). Et puis je trouve ça vraiment
rigolo. Je trouve en fait que c’est un produit vraiment décalé, c’est vraiment pas sérieux comme
produit, c’est vraiment quelque chose de second degré, et c’est pour ça que j’en prendrais.
C : Donc le côté humoristique et le côté je soutiens la région parce que je suis breton ?
Co : Ouais, c’est ça.
C : OK. Donc là en ce moment tu es à Compiègne.
Co : Oui.
C : Est-ce que tu sais si tu peux acheter du Breizh Cola en dehors de la Bretagne ?
Co : Euh, aucune idée. Je le cherche pas particulièrement, mais il me semble pas en avoir vu
dans les supermarchés à Compiègne. Donc je pense que c’est un peu comme le beurre salé, plus
on s’éloigne de la Bretagne, moins y en a.
C : C’est un peu ça, mais en 2013, ils sont arrivés à Paris, tu le savais ?
Co : Ben il paraît que c’est la plus grosse ville bretonne (rit).
C : Oui, il y a plus d’un million de Bretons « impatriés », comme ils disent. Donc c’est pour ça
qu’ils se sont installés là-bas. Toi du coup, en tant que Breton, tu en penses quoi du fait qu’ils
se sont exportés là-bas, tu penses quoi du fait qu’ils se sont implantés à Paris ?
Co : Bof, ça me gêne pas, je trouve ça bien. Par rapport à, hum… Par rapport au développement
de la marque, plus ça se développe mieux c’est. Après ça donne une image sympa de la Bretagne.
Moi ça me gêne pas, je trouve pas que ça ait… Je trouve pas qu’ils aient vendu leur âme, comme
certains pourraient le penser, d’aller vendre des trucs à, à l’envahisseur, si on veut (rit). Mais
euh non, moi ça me choque pas, je trouve ça même sympa qu’ils se développent et soient connus
un peu partout en France.
C : D’accord, donc tu serais plutôt pour le développement de la marque dans le reste de la
France s’ils voulaient faire ça ?
Co : Oh, oui ça me gênerait pas.
C : D’accord, tu n’as pas un peu le, hum, l’impression qu’éventuellement ça risquerait de diluer
un peu l’essence de la marque si elle sortait un peu trop de Bretagne ?
Co : Bah, tant qu’elle reste… Tant que ça reste produit en Bretagne, y a aucune raison que ça
reste que en Bretagne. Genre euh… Le comté c’est pas vendu que dans la région du Comté, ce
serait dommage de faire ça avec les produits bretons.
C : OK. Euh… Est-ce que tu sais s’il y a un peu une communauté de fans, qui n’achèteraient
que ça s’ils doivent acheter du soda parmi les sodas disponibles ?
Co : Hum, ça m’étonnerait pas mais j’en connais pas.
C : Autour de toi tu sais un peu, dans ta famille bretonne, qui consomme quoi ou ce genre de
choses ?
Co : Euh… je pense que, autour de moi, on achète quand même plus du Breizh Cola que du
Coca Cola, c’est vrai, mais on est pas hardcore non plus, c’est juste qu’on a pris l’habitude.
C : D’accord. Euh… Est-ce que tu dirais que le Breizh Cola fait partie de l’identité culturelle
bretonne ou pas?
Co : Pas encore, étant donné que c’est pas encore très connu à travers la France.
C : Mais comme c’est connu en Bretagne ?
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Co : C’est connu en Bretagne, donc un peu. Mais euh, dans l’identité culturelle bretonne entre
Bretons. Pas dans le reste de la France puisque c’est pas encore connu. C’est pas au niveau du
Kouign Aman ou du beurre salé.
C : D’accord.
Co: Ça commence, mais pas tout à fait.
C : Et tu penses que justement ils s’étendent à Paris ça pourrait justement contribuer à ça ?
Co : Ouais. Parce que je pense qu’on parisien va pas... Pour acheter un Breizh Cola, faut quand
même être un minimum sensible à la Bretagne. Quelqu’un qui va venir du Jura par exemple, le
Breizh Cola il s’en tamponne, il va continuer avec son Coca-Cola normal auquel il a été habitué.
Mais du coup, clairement j’ai tendance à penser que, peu importe où en France, euh, une grosse
majorité de ceux qui achèteront du Breizh Cola, à Nice par exemple, y aura une grosse majorité
de Bretons qui l’achèteront là-bas.
C: Par solidarité?
Co: Par solidarité, par habitude, par euh… Parce que ça leur fait plaisir de retrouver un produit
breton à l’autre bout de la France, et puis voilà.
C : D’accord. Tu penses qu’en dehors des Bretons impatriés un peu partout en France, la marque
pourrait attirer des gens ? Tu me donnais l’exemple du mec dans le Jura en disant que non.
Parce que si c’est juste pour parler aux Bretons, il y a un risque que la marque ne soit pas assez
rentable. Est-ce que tu penses qu’il y a un moyen de succès pour Breizh Cola ?
Co : Ben je pense que ce sera difficile de toucher les autres personnes, étant donné que tout le
monde est très habitué au Coca, qu’il y a quand même une différence de goût assez notable
entre le Breizh Cola et le Coca Cola… y en a peut-être qui en prendront une fois de temps en
temps pour rigoler un coup, parce que voilà, ils vont trouver que c’est une idée originale, et
encore, maintenant y en a tellement, un coca par région, presque, que je pense que ce sera très
difficile pour le Breizh Cola d’aller percer dans les autres pays. Dans le nord, t’as genre Chti
cola ou chais pas quoi, si t’as le Breizh Cola qui arrive dans les rayons à côté du Chti Cola, ben,
si un Lillois décide d’acheter un coca cola régional il va acheter du Chti Cola, c’est normal. Et
euh, dans une région qu’a pas du tout ce genre de coca-cola régional, chais pas Montpellier, par
exemple, ben ils vont rester sur leur Coca Cola classique, parce qu’ils sont habitués au goût, et
qu’ils ont pas vraiment envie de changer. Je pense que si la marque se développe, c’est pour
toucher les Bretons impatriés en grosse partie, ce sera le cœur de la clientèle, je pense.
C : OK. Dernière question, est-ce que toi tu te reconnais personnellement dans cette marque en
tant que Breton, ou en tant que personne ?
Co : Bof, pas trop. Qu’est-ce que tu entends par là ?
C : Euh, avoir un sentiment de connexion, pouvoir t’identifier à la marque, tu vois ?
Co : Bah… En fait, par… Etant donné que la marque s’identifie à la Bretagne et moi aussi, un
peu, mais je me sens pas vraiment très lié à cette marque.
C : Merci beaucoup pour ton temps et tes réponses !
50
APPENDIX N°4 – INTERVIEW WITH EMMANUEL (PARISIAN)
C stands for Casseline and E stands for Emmanuel. Duration of interview: 18 minutes.
C: Entretien N°3, Emmanuel. Bonjour Emmanuel, comment vas-tu?

E : Bah pas trop mal !
C : Très bien. Alors, parfait. Pourrais-tu me dire la première marque de soda gazeux qui te vient
à l’esprit ?
E : Euh… Coca-Cola.
C : OK, est-ce qu’il y a d’autres marques que tu connais ?
E : Bah euh… De soda, oui, Fanta, ou Pepsi, ou euh… Orangina. Je crois que c’est des sodas
gazeux, eux aussi ?
C : Euh oui, je sais jamais si c’est Fanta ou Orangina, j’en bois pas de ceux-là.
E : Ouais, fin voilà, ce genre de voilà, c’est à peu près ce qui me vient à l’esprit.
C : D’accord. Est-ce qu’il y a des marques que tu consommes personnellement ?
E : Quasiment jamais, non.
C : Pourquoi ?
E : Parce que, euh, parce que ce sont des boissons qui sont mauvaises pour la santé, bourrées
de sucres, et avec des additifs chimiques, donc voilà c’est très mauvais pour la santé.
C : D’accord. Maintenant si je te dis « Bretagne », à quoi est-ce que tu penses spontanément ?
E : Aux galettes !
C : Quoi d’autre ?
E : Bah le cidre, les produits un petit peu typiques entre guillemets, un petit peu breton, quoi !
Fin, quoique c’est un peu la Normandie aussi, bon bref.
C : D’accord. Hum, est-ce que tu connais Breizh Cola.
E : Non.
C : Jamais entendu parler ?
E : Hum… Je pense pas, je pense pas.
C : D’accord. Quand je t’ai dit ce nom, est-ce qu’il y a des associations qui se sont faites dans
ta tête ?
E : Ben oui, cola, on pense à Coca Cola ou du Pepsi cola, donc ça doit être un soda, un
équivalent, je suppose.
C : Et le mot « Breizh », tu le comprends ?
E : Oui, oui, Brest, la ville.
C : Non, pas Brest, « Breizh ».
E : Oui, oui, bah Breizh, c’est euh… En breton.
C : A quoi ça te fait penser tout ça ?
E : Bah la Bretagne. Brest oui.
C : OK, je vais te montrer une image (Image N°1) du produit (envoyée par lien sur Skype)
E : (manipule, ouvre le lien et regarde l’image)
C : Descends jusqu’à voir l’affiche avec marqué « le Cola du Phare ouest »
E : (éclate de rire) Ah c’est excellent ça ! (rit). C’est rigolo.
C: Maintenant que tu vois ce produit, qu’est-ce qui te vient à l’esprit?
E : Euh… Bah que c’est euh… Je suppose quelque chose d’équivalent ou de similaire aux
différents Pepsi Cola, Coca Cola et autres, enfin je suppose.
51
C : D’accord. Quels sont tes a prioris ? Maintenant que tu le découvre, qu’est-ce que tu en
penses?
E : Ben voilà je me dis que ça se positionne sur la même gamme en termes de produits, j’aime
bien le côté jeu de mots, le côté drôle, ça, ça me plaît bien, l’humour, et puis bah après si jamais
un jour j’ai l’occasion de goûter, pourquoi pas, pour voir ce que c’est. Mais, mais voilà, je
goûterais probablement, mais comme je vais probablement classer ça dans les… Après faut voir
avec quoi c’est fait. Si c’est les mêmes genres de produits avec sucres et produits chimiques, je
vais classer ça dans la même catégorie et j’en boirai pas, ou très rarement.
C : Je comprends. Voilà une deuxième image (Image N°3) (envoi du deuxième lien).
E : (lit à voix haute le texte) Je la vois.
C : Qu’est-ce que ça te fait ressentir de la voir, à quoi ça te fait penser ?
E : Ben, toujours l’analogie avec l’humour Far West, avec les petits chapeaux, c’est rigolo. Et
au fond, ben d’un côté on voit un pseudo saloon sur la gauche, et euh, à droit, ben le phare, le
fameux phare breton, voilà. C’est… Non je trouve ça voilà, je trouve ça très bien fait, c’est une
bonne affiche. Qui me parle et attire mon attention.
C : Maintenant que tu as vu le style publicitaire de la marque, si tu devais imaginer que la
marque avait une personnalité comme si c’était une personne, tu vois, comment est-ce que tu la
décrirais ?
E : Je suis pas sûr de bien comprendre.
C : Ayant vu ces deux affiches, euh, quels sont les adjectifs qui te viendraient à l’esprit pour
définir l’identité de la marque ?
E : Ben c’est bien, c’est un peu rebelle, c’est un peu euh, comment dire, euh… Un peu… Oui,
ça affiche bien, comment dire, la prétention, la couleur locale. Je sais pas comment le dire, fin
voilà, ça attire mon attention. Si je vois ça dans la rue, dans un journal, fin si je vois ce genre
de communication, c’est vrai que ça va attirer mon regard, parce que ça fait penser aux marques
les plus connues et ça affiche clairement la couleur, voilà on concurrence, mais on est capables
de faire quelque chose d’aussi bien, voire mieux, en local. Voilà, c’est à ça que ça me fait penser.
C : OK, très bien. Donc, du coup tu n’en as jamais goûté, mais est-ce que d’avoir vu tout ça, ça
te donnerait envie de goûter ?
E : Envie, non. Si l’opportunité ou l’occasion se présente, par exemple si je suis avec des gens
qui en boivent, je demanderais à goûter, oui. Je regarderais la bouteille, je regarderais la
composition, avec quoi c’est fait, et euh… Voilà, donc je ouais, par curiosité, pour voir un petit
peu comment c’est, c’est, c’est, fin quels sont les additifs et puis voilà. Fin puis je goûterais
pour tester, oui, pour essayer.
C : D’accord, OK. Maintenant, en prenant un peu plus de recul, qu’est-ce que tu penses de cette
initiative de faire un Coca-Cola breton, quelles sont tes impressions à ce sujet ?
E : (réfléchit) Bah je trouve ça, oui c’est intéressant, c’est bien oui. C’est pour montrer qu’il y
a pas besoin d’être un géant multinational pour être capable de faire des produits intéressants,
et si en plus c’est produit dans l’intelligence, je pense qu’il y a une carte locale à jouer, hein, de
dire que c’est une économie locale, et en plus avec des produits, comment dire, moins
dangereux que ce qui est actuellement dans les autres colas, je pense qu’il y a une carte à jouer.
Je pense que ça peut être intéressant. Là dans la communication, ils jouent surtout sur l’analogie,
sur le fait que ça rappelle la marque, euh, je dirais principale. Ca joue sur l’humour, c’est décalé
pour dire « nous aussi on sait faire des choses, venez essayer », donc ça, je trouve ça bien. Après,
encore une fois, ils jouent aussi sur le fait que c’est, je pense, fait en local. Après je pense qu’à
l’heure actuelle, ils pourraient aussi communiquer sur le fait que c’est je pense des produits
moins chargés, moins toxiques, quoi.
52
C : D’accord, je comprends. Du coup, toi tu n’en consommes pas forcément, mais qu’est-ce
que tu penserais de l’idée que le produit Breizh Cola soit disponible ailleurs qu’en Bretagne,
dans d’autres régions ?
E : Oh bah oui, bien sûr, pourquoi pas. Je veux dire, on boit du vin dans toute la France, et le
vin n’est pas produit partout en France, et le cidre aussi, donc bien sûr.
C : Est-ce que tu penses que ça pourrait avoir du succès, sachant que c’est vendu de manière
très régionale, avec beaucoup d’attachement à la culture locale ? Est-ce que tu penses que ça
pourrait marcher ?
E : Oui, parce que tu as beaucoup de Bretons qui sont, comment dire, éparpillés un peu partout
en France, de même tu as beaucoup de personnes qui visitent la Bretagne et qui sont intéressés
par la Bretagne. Je sais pas à quel point, mais je pense que c’est quelque chose qui doit pouvoir
avoir de l’écho même en dehors de la Bretagne.
C : D’accord. Bon, imagine, pas forcément pour toi, mais imagine tu es dans un supermarché,
tu dois faire des courses pour une soirée où il y aura par exemple des enfants, et tu as le choix
entre le nouveau Breizh Cola qui vient d’arriver et les autres cocas, est-ce que tu penses que tu
serais enclin à en acheter ?
E : Oui.
C : Pourquoi, du coup ?
E : Euh, bah, oui, parce que… Déjà faudrait que je puisse l’essayer avant, pour savoir vraiment
le goût que ça peut avoir, est-ce que c’est très proche du Coca Cola ou pas. Parce que pour moi,
que ce soit un clone du Coca Cola je m’en fiche, si tu veux. Mais si je dois donner ça en pâture
à des gamins, ben si c’est pas entre guillemets, euh… Au goût quasiment identique au Coca
Cola, les gamins risquent d’être réticents à l’idée de le consommer. Mais sinon, oui, oui, bien
sûr, si on peut faire appel à des produits locaux, moi je trouve ça parfait. Fin locaux, en tout cas,
français. Très bien, si ça peut aider des entreprises françaises.
C : Très bien, je vois. Savais-tu qu’il était disponible à Paris depuis 2013 ?
E : Non, je l’ignorais. Bah après, je vais très rarement dans les magasins, donc euh… Je vois
pas ce genre de trucs dans les rayonnages, donc c’est peut-être aussi pour ça que je ne l’ai pas
rencontré. Puis comme je fréquente pas non plus assidûment les bars ou les restaurants où peut-
être ce genre de produits peut être proposé, mais moi de toute façon le Cola j’en boit pas, ça
veut dire qu’a priori, je vais pas en demander. Effectivement, si j’étais consommateur de Coca
Cola, et que je vais dans un restaurant et je demande un Coca et la personne me propose « tiens
je peux vous faire essayer un nouveau produit si ça vous intéresse », mais comme de toute façon
je n’en demande pas, c’est aussi pour ça que je ne l’ai jamais rencontré.
C : Je vois, oui. Euh, j’allais te demander de retourner sur le premier lien, il y a une autre image
(Image N°2). L’affiche avec la grand-mère.
E : Oui, le Breizh Cola débarque à Paris, c’est ça ?
C : Oui. Voilà. Quand tu vois cette affiche, qui a été l’affiche pour l’arrivée à Paris en 2013,
qu’est-ce que tu en penses ? Qu’est-ce que ça te fait ressentir ? A quoi ça te fait penser ?
E : Bah… je dirais que ce serait pas mal, sauf le côté mamie. Je trouve ça un peu trop
franchouillard, tu vois. Le Breizh Cola débarque à Paris, le débarquement, le drapeau, la tour
Eiffel, le drapeau américain qui est en fait le drapeau breton, c’est cool, et la Jeep qui est la Jeep
américaine… Non l’affiche est pas mal, on a même le parachute au fond avec le Breizh Cola et
la belle couleur rouge qui rappelle encore une fois le Coca Cola… Non c’est pas mal, sauf, sauf
je trouve, le coup de la mamie, pff, je trouve que ça fait un peu trop, c’est un peu exagéré. C’est
le un petit peu trop qui dessert, même, je trouve, l’image. Ca fait un peu trop franchouillard.
53
C : OK. Très bien. Euh… Du coup tu penses que l’arrivée du Breizh Cola à Paris, c’est plutôt
une bonne ou une mauvaise chose ?
E : Bah oui, je dirais que quitte à ce que les gens s’empoisonnent avec des sodas, autant qu’ils
le fassent avec des produits français (rit) !
C : (rit) Et est-ce que tu penses qu’il y a un risque qu’il y ait un peu une dilution de ce côté, euh,
typiquement breton qu’on ne trouvait avant qu’en Bretagne ?
E : (réfléchit) Non, parce que c’est une boisson très, déjà de jeunes, fin plutôt de jeunes, très
récréative. C’est pas des boissons euh… Plus prétentieuses, comme des vins ou des alcools. Là
c’est beaucoup plus… C’est une communication qui va bien parce que c’est un produit qui se
prend pas trop au sérieux. C’est pas le genre de communication que tu ferais pour introduire un
grand vin ou une bière, enfin des trucs comme ça. Donc je pense pas que ça pose vraiment
problème si, euh, d’un seul coup le Breizh Cola avait un succès mondial et se retrouvait à
Singapour euh… Sidney ou euh… Ou au Groenland. Fin non, voilà.
C : Très bien, merci pour ton temps et tes réponses !
54
APPENDIX N°5 – INTERVIEW WITH ALEKSANDRA (PARISIAN)
C stands for Casseline and A stands for Aleksandra. Duration of interview: 12 minutes 30
seconds.
C: Entretien N°4, Aleksandra. Bonjour Aleksandra, comment vas-tu?

A : Très bien, merci.
C : Je vais te poser quelques questions, tu réponds vraiment spontanément ce qui te vient. Alors,
quelle est la première marque de soda gazeux qui te vient à l’esprit ?
A : De soda gazeux qui me vient à l’esprit ? Hum… Sodastream ?
C : Euh non, ça…
A : Ah une boisson gazeuse ? Perrier.
C: D’accord, mais en sodas?
A : Coca.
C : Est-ce qu’il y en a d’autres ?
A : Pepsi… (réfléchit) Je sais pas, je connais pas.
C : D’accord, est-ce qu’il y en a que tu consommes personnellement ou jamais ?
A : Pratiquement jamais.
C : Et les rares fois où tu en consommes, c’est plutôt quelle marque ?
A : Coca-Cola, ouais.
C : Euh, maintenant, si je te dis le mot « Bretagne », à quoi ça te fait penser ?
A : Euh, à la mer.
C : Ensuite ? Dis tout ce qui te vient à l’esprit.
A : Danse celtique, bonnets rouges.
C : Autre chose ?
A : Euh… Oui le folklore celte, les bateaux.
C : OK, très bien. Est-ce que tu connais le Breizh Cola ?
A : Breizh Cola, non je connais pas.
C : A quoi tu penses en entendant le mot Breizh Cola ?
A : Ca me fait penser à Brest.
C : Tu associerais à quoi ?
A : Bah je sais pas, un cola qui est fait en Bretagne, à Brest, au Finistère. Un coca local.
C : D’accord, très bien. Peux-tu regarder la première image (Image N°1).
A: Hum… Attends, je regarde (manipule le lien par Skype, regarde l’image). Oui, le Cola du
Phare ouest, c’est ça ?
C : Oui. Quand tu vois ça, à quoi tu penses ?
A : Hum… Bah à une tentative de… Euh… De faire un cola euh, breton, pourquoi ?
C : Faut répondre ce qui te viens, c’est tout. On va regarder la deuxième image (Image N°3).
Tu la vois ?
A : Oui, Breizh Cola avec la mamie ? (s’est trompée d’image, mais a vu une autre publicité de
Breizh Cola qui fonctionne aussi)
C : Qu’est-ce que tu penses de cette affiche ? Quels sont les adjectifs qui te viennent à l’esprit ?
A : Euh, récupération, rigolo, euh… Un peu trop poussif, je pense.
C : Très bien. Maintenant que tu as vu quelques affiches, quelques images du produit, si tu
devais me donner quelques adjectifs pour me décrire la marque en général, qu’est-ce que tu me
dirais ?
55
A : (réfléchit) Bah je sais pas. Imitation, après… Euh… Bon, tentative, tentative, euh…
Amusante. Mais bon…
C: Mais bon quoi ?
A: Je sais pas moi j’aurais… Tu vois, au lieu de mettre les chapeaux de cow-boy, j’aurais mis
les bonnets Bretons sur les bouteilles. Tu vois cette association de Far West américain, ça me
fait plus penser à une imitation qu’à un produit réellement différent.
C : Je vois. Du coup ça te donnerait envie ou pas d’essayer le produit ?
A : Hum, oui, je pourrais essayer le produit, mais bon je suis pas fan de cola par principe, donc
pas plus que ça. Mais je pense par curiosité, oui pourquoi pas, pour voir si le goût est vraiment
différent ou pas, oui.
C : D’accord. Maintenant, si on prend un peu de recul par rapport à ce que je t’ai montré, euh,
qu’est-ce que tu penses de l’initiative d’un cola qui serait fabriqué en Bretagne et qui serait
typiquement breton, tu en penses quoi ?
A : Oui, c’est bien, c’est bien de lancer ça. La domination de Coca Cola et Pepsi et autres
produits comme ça américains, oui, quelque part, c’est très bien qu’il y a des produits locaux.
C : Donc c’est plutôt positif ?
A : Donc oui, oui, pourquoi pas.
C : OK. Euh, bon, sachant que tu n’en bois pas forcément, mais est-ce que ça te plairait que ce
cola breton typiquement français soit disponible ailleurs en France, ailleurs qu’en Bretagne.
A : (réfléchit) Ben… Je trouve que non.
C : Pourquoi ?
A : Bah parce que ça… Par principe ça a une connotation bretonne et pas française, donc autant
que ça reste en Bretagne. Comme produit local.
C : Est-ce que tu penses que ça pourrait marcher en dehors de la Bretagne ou pas ?
A : (réfléchit) Ben après y a plein de Bretons partout en France, donc peut-être par produit un
peu niche par ci, par-là, pourquoi pas, dans les crêperies, peut-être ou ce genre de choses, ils
pourraient proposer ça, mais je vois pas comment on peut acheter ça dans le sud-ouest, je sais
pas, ça colle pas. C’est pas un produit en tant que tel fait français, c’est breton, tu vois ce que
je veux dire ? Là tel que c’est fait, c’est vraiment l’image typiquement breton, breton, breton,
donc que ça reste là-bas, c’est bien comme ça.
C : Je vois. Donc si tu avais l’opportunité par exemple, alors soit tu es en Bretagne ou quelque
part à Courcouronnes, tu tombes sur du Breizh Cola, si tu dois en acheter pour par exemple des
enfants ou des amis qui viennent, est-ce que tu achèterais du Breizh Cola ?
A : Ouais, ouais, je pense, oui.
C : Pourquoi ?
A : Pour changer, pour casser un peu le monopole. Si c’est bon, il faut que ce soit bon au goût
aussi. Peut-être moins sucré, moins une bombe calorique. Après je sais pas ce que ça donne.
L’image, OK, après c’est le goût qui… Voilà, qui décide, hein.
C : Je comprends.
A : Donc première approche oui, c’est rigolo, je prendrais, j’essaierais et tout, après, si c’est pas
convaincant niveau goût, ben ça restera dans les anecdotes.
C : D’accord. Est-ce que tu savais qu’il était disponible à Paris ?
A : Non, je savais pas, non.
C : D’accord. Alors, si on passe à cette affiche (Image N°2), peux-tu me dire ce que tu penses
de cette affiche ?
A : (regarde, réfléchit) C’est… C’est bien, c’est une bonne tentative, je pense.
C : Quelles idées te viennent ?
56
A : Ben c’est toujours un petit peu… Oui ça fait penser au débarquement, la guerre, les
Américains, avec leur cola et tout, et tout, donc euh… oui. Non, non, c’est une bonne récup’.
C : D’accord. Qu’est-ce que tu penses, par rapport à ce que tu m’as dit tout à l’heure, du fait
que Breizh Cola débarque à Paris ?
A : Bah écoute, qu’ils essaient, oui. Comme je t’ai dit, pourquoi pas. Si c’est un bon produit,
oui. Moi je t’ai dit, je le verrais plus en Bretagne, mais si à la limite on le trouve par ci, par-là,
et que finalement c’est un bon produit, autant qu’il soit présent en France ailleurs qu’en
Bretagne. Au moins la mamie n’a pas de chapeau de cow-boy mais plutôt la coiffe bretonne.
Non, mais voilà, c’est une bonne tentative, je trouve.
C : Très bien, merci beaucoup pour ton temps et tes réponses.
57
APPENDIX N°6 – INTERVIEW WITH SEBASTIEN (NORMAND, LIVED 3 YEARS IN BRETAGNE)
C stands for Casseline and S stands for Sébastien. Duration of interview: 12 minutes.
C: Entretien N°5, Sébastien. Salut Sébastien, ça va?

S : Ça va.
C : Merci d’accepter de répondre à mes questions.
S : De rien.
C : Est-ce que pour commencer tu pourrais me dire quelle est la première marque de soda
gazeux qui te vient à l’esprit ?
S : Ben Coca.
C : D’accord, et est-ce qu’il y a d’autres marques qui te viennent ?
S : Euh Orangina, Fanta… Euh… Sprite, Seven Up, des trucs du genre, c’est à peu près tout.
C : Ça marche. Est-ce qu’il y a des marques que tu consommes, toi, personnellement ?
S : Euh… J’en prends assez rarement, mais sinon, c’est surtout du Coca ou du Sprite.
C : Pourquoi ? Tu aimes bien ceux-là, c’est quoi l’idée ?
S : Non, j’aime bien le Sprite, donc je prends surtout ça, et généralement, le Coca c’est avec
des potes, c’est un truc classique, c’est sûr que tout le monde aime, quoi.
C : OK, je vois. Si je te dis maintenant « Bretagne », à quoi tu penses spontanément ?
S : La pluie !
C : (rit) La pluie, d’accord ! Autre chose ?
S : (réfléchit) Sans plus.
C : Donc juste la pluie, bravo les clichés (rit).
S : Ben oui, mais c’est ce que j’ai vécu.
C : Est-ce que tu connais Breizh Cola ?
S : Euh, de nom, surtout, oui.
C : Tu as entendu ça où ?
S : Je l’ai vu dans des magasins, et euh, c’était un des cocas qui y avait principalement par là-
bas.
C : Quand tu as entendu le nom, quelles associations te sont venues à l’esprit en entendant
Breizh Cola ?
S : Ben que c’était un cola breton, après je ne savais pas si c’était un truc vraiment officiel ou
si c’était… La première fois que j’avais dû le voir, c’était avec des potes en soirée, ou une
c******* du genre, et je savais pas si c’était un truc qu’ils avaient fait pour déconner, un truc
du genre quoi.
C : D’accord. Alors, je t’ai envoyé un lien, si tu veux bien l’ouvrir. Tu vois l’affiche (Image
N°1).
S : C’est bon.
C : Quand tu vois cette image, ça te fait penser à quoi ?
S : (réfléchit) Euh… Pas grand-chose. Bah, pff… Disons que j’essayais de savoir si j’avais déjà
reconnu ce phare, mais j’ai jamais dû le voir à priori. Après je sais pas, ça me fait pas
spécialement penser à la Bretagne plus que ça, à part le nom et le logo. L’image reste assez
générique, quoi.
C : Est-ce que ça te donne des associations d’idées par rapport au Breizh Cola, en te faisant te
dire, tiens celui-là il est plus comme ci ou comme ça ?
S : Euh pas du tout.
58
C : On va passer à la deuxième image (Image N°3). Est-ce que tu vois l’affiche avec les
chapeaux de cow-boy ?
S : Oui.
C : OK, là quand tu vois ça… Déjà est-ce que c’est la première fois que tu vois ça ?
S : Ah oui !
C: OK, qu’est-ce que ça te fait cette première impression vis-à-vis de la marque?
S : Oh, c’est assez bizarre, parce que ça fait plus penser au western et autres c******** du
genre, ce qui est assez loin de l’idée de la Bretagne.
C : Même si on voit le phare au fond ?
S : Euh ouais, mais à part que c’est écrit Breizh un peu partout, sinon, j’aurais jamais associé
ça avec la Bretagne, quoi.
C : Très bien, bon… Du coup, tu en as déjà goûté ?
S : J’ai dû en boire deux-trois fois.
C : Tu as une idée, tu te rappelles un peu si tu avais bien aimé le goût ou pas ?
S : Euh ouais, c’était un cola classique, quoi. Rien de particulier à dire dessus.
C : Tu dirais que c’est la même chose que du Coca ou du Pepsi ?
S : Euh ouais, je sais pas. J’ai pas de souvenir particulier sur le goût, donc a priori…
C : En parlant justement d’a priori, quand tu as vu ce truc-là pour la première fois, quels ont été
justement tes a priori sur le produit, quand tu as vu la bouteille quand on te l’a proposée ?
S : Bah… (réfléchit longuement) J’ai plus la moindre idée. Je pense que je me suis dit que
c’était un coca comme un autre, un cola classique, quoi. Je m’attendais à rien de particulier.
C : D’accord. Euh, après avoir vu ces deux affiches que je t’ai montrées, si tu devais décrire la
marque en terme de personnalité, comme est-ce que tu qualifierais la marque ?
S : (réfléchit) Ben qu’ils sont quand même assez attachés à l’aspect breton, ça fait partie de leur
image de marque, donc euh… Bah disons que la deuxième avec le western fait assez bizarre,
parce qu’ils se détachent un peu plus de cette image, et je vois pas ce qu’ils essaient de faire
avec.
C : Donc tu ressens plutôt une impression de quelque chose qui va pas très bien avec ce qu’ils
essaient de dire ?
S : Euh, ouais.
C : Je vois. Qu’est-ce que tu penses, en prenant un peu de recul, de cette initiative de créer un
cola qui est breton ?
S : Bof… Bah c’est une idée, pff, je sais pas moi, j’ai rien contre, c’est une bonne idée je pense,
du moment qu’ils arrivent à faire des produits satisfaisants, ce qui est le cas a priori, je vois pas
de problème avec.
C : Est-ce que tu penses que ce cola pourrait se répandre un peu ailleurs en France et pas juste
en Bretagne ?
(Problème d’enregistrement du téléphone, quelques secondes manquent avant que je ne
m’en aperçoive)
S : […] Voir, tester une fois comme ça, après, vu que le goût est classique, dire qu’ils auraient
tendance à aller vers celui-là, plutôt qu’un autre, je ne sais pas.
C : Donc tu penses que ça marcherait pas forcément parce que c’est pas forcément tellement
différent du coca normal ?
S : Voilà.
C : Et toi personnellement, tu penses que ce serait bien qu’il soit disponible ailleurs et pas juste
en Bretagne ? Pas si tu penses que ça marcherait, mais si toi tu penses que ce serait bien qu’il
soit disponible ailleurs.
59
S : Oui, ce serait sympa. Fin après, j’ai testé que l’original. Les différentes versions qu’ils ont
rajouté depuis, je les ai pas goûtées, donc je peux pas avoir d’avis dessus. Peut-être que celle-
là aura plus de chances de marcher, je ne sais pas.
C : OK, d’accord. Donc tu penses que tu en achèterais si c’était disponible ailleurs ?
S : Euh oui, une fois de temps en temps, histoire de.
C : Pas de manière régulière ? Si tu devais choisir, tu prendrais plutôt quoi, du Coca ?
S : Euh, bah généralement je prends plus de Sprite quand même.
C : D’accord. Est-ce que tu savais qu’il était disponible à Paris, Breizh Cola ?
S : Pas du tout !
C : Ben ça fait trois-quatre ans maintenant qu’il est disponible.
S : Vu que je vais jamais à Paris, ça m’avantage pas beaucoup.
C : Peux-tu revenir sur le premier lien que je t’ai envoyé (Image N°2). Tu vois l’affiche ?
S : Oui.
C : Qu’est-ce que tu en penses de celle-là ? Qu’est-ce que ça te donne comme impression ?
S : (réfléchit) Bah… Y a… Je comprends déjà un peu mieux le principe que celle avec le
western… Ben c’est sympa, quoi.
C : Et qu’est-ce que tu penses du fait que ça débarque à Paris, justement, que ça vienne
s’installer en dehors de la Bretagne ?
S : Bah c’est une bonne idée, je pense, je vois pas de raison particulière pour que ça reste en
Bretagne.
C : Parce que dans un autre entretien, par exemple, on m’a dit que ce serait un risque que l’image
se détériore un peu parce que c’est un produit breton et donc que si c’est trouvable en dehors
de la Bretagne, ça perd un peu de son charme. Est-ce que tu penses qu’effectivement, c’est un
risque ou pas trop ?
S : Ben non, s’ils arrivent à garder une bonne image bretonne, je vois pas pourquoi le fait de
s’étendre changerait, quoi. Y a bien d’autres produits bretons qu’on doit trouver un peu partout
mais qui arrivent à garder, euh, l’aspect breton de base, quoi.
C : D’accord, très bien. Merci pour ton temps et tes réponses.
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APPENDIX N°7 – INTERVIEW WITH GREGOIRE (BASQUE)
C stands for Casseline and G stands for Grégoire. Duration of interview: 16 minutes.
C: Entretien N°6, Grégoire. Bonjour Grégoire, comment vas-tu?

G : Bonjour Casseline, je vais très bien.
C : Quelle est la première marque de soda gazeux qui te vient à l’esprit ?
G : Coca Cola.
C : Est-ce qu’il y a d’autres marques que tu connais ?
G : Fanta, Orangina, Sprite, Seven Up… Euh… Pepsi, euh… Pepsi… Après y a un soda
américain à l’orange dont j’ai oublié le nom et qui m’échappe totalement, et puis voilà.
C : OK. C’est déjà bien. Quelles marques est-ce que tu consommes personnellement ?
G : Euh, Coca Cola et Seven Up.
C: Pourquoi ?
G: Parce que j’aime le Coca Cola et j’aime le Seven Up ! Tout simplement.
C : OK. Si je te dis le mot “Bretagne”, à quoi est-ce que tu penses spontanément?
G : Aux crêpes (rit) !
C : Quoi d’autres ?
G : Les sous-marins. Les phares et les sous-marins nucléaires de Brest.
C : D’accord, autre chose ?
G : Euh… Bah tout le centre, les centres militaires à Brest, les jolis décors de l’Armorique, je
pense à Astérix et Obélix, à euh… Je pense à, après, euh… Lorient, tout ça, les villes, je pense
à Saint-Malo, à la dispute avec la Normandie pour le Mont Saint-Michel, voilà (rit).
C : D’accord (rit). Maintenant qu’on a fait ça, est-ce que tu connais le Breizh Cola ?
G : Oui, parce que je l’ai cité dans les marques.
C : Ah, je ne crois pas l’avoir entendu. D’accord. Alors, quand tu entends ce mot « Breizh
Cola », à quoi tu penses, quelles sont les associations que tu fais ?
G : Bah je vois une bouteille rouge avec du cola à l’intérieur, avec écrit en blanc dessus « Breizh
Cola ».
C : Alors, je vais t’envoyer un lien (Image N°1).
G : OK (manipule et regarde l’image). Oui.
C : Qu’est-ce que tu en penses quand tu vois ça ?
G : Euh… Rien.
C: Allez, un petit effort. Quelles sont les idées qui te viennent à l’esprit spontanément comme
ça ?
G : (réfléchit) Une boisson rafraîchissante, je suppose. Et qui est censée être énergisante,
puisque c’est la mer déchaînée qu’on voit en image. Et c’est censé être notre phare dans la mer
déchaînée ou je ne sais pas quoi. Après au vu du logo je suppose que c’est une publicité qui met
plus en avant le produit régional de la Bretagne qu’autre chose, mais vraiment rien de spécial,
et c’est pas une publicité qui me donnerait envie d’acheter la boisson et qui me présente ça de
manière positive.
C : D’accord. Je te montre une deuxième affiche de pub pour comparer et diversifier les visuels.
Celle avec les chapeaux de cow-boy. Même question, quand tu vois cette image, qu’est-ce que
tu associes à la marque, qu’est-ce que tu as comme images, comme idées qui te viennent ?
G : Euh… L’idée qui me vient c’est qu’ils ont voulu faire un truc en rapport avec l’Amérique.
L’Amérique et l’Armorique, je suppose, ça fait un super jeu de mots. Après c’est comme l’autre,
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rien de particulier, même je préférais l’autre. Parce que tant qu’à faire un cola breton, autant
mettre en avant le fait qu’il soit français et non pas qu’il soit une pâle copie du géant américain,
parce que là ça fait très publicité pâle copie de Coca Cola.
C : Pourtant le côté breton peut se voir dans le phare, non ?
G : Oui, mais alors le phare est à l’arrière-plan tout au fond, alors qu’au premier plan on a des
bouteilles avec des chapeaux de cow-boy, donc les symboles sont quasiment les mêmes. Et puis
un phare breton, je suis désolé je viens du Pays Basque, et on a les mêmes phares à Biarritz.
Quand je vais en Espagne, y a les mêmes, et quand je vais aux Etats-Unis, y a les mêmes (rit) !
C : D’accord, et le petit jeu de mots avec le cola du « phare ouest » et le fait qu’il y a le mot
Breizh qui signifie Bretagne en breton, est-ce que ça suffit pas à donner un petit côté breton ?
G : (réfléchit) Bah comparé, toujours comparé à la symbolique américaine, si ça me fait
comprendre que c’est breton, mais vu l’importance du positionnement, la symbolique
américaine sur cette publicité, ça me fait vraiment penser à une imitation de l’Amérique.
C : D’accord, je vois. Alors, quand tu as vu pour la première fois ces images ou que tu as vu du
Breizh Cola, qu’est-ce que tu as eu comme a priori ?
G : Ben à cause du packaging, j’avais comme a priori que c’était encore une copie de Coca
Cola.
C : D’accord. Hum, maintenant que tu as vu ces images, si tu devais me décrire la marque avec
des adjectifs, comme si la marque avait une personnalité, tu vois, une identité, comment est-ce
que tu décrirais… Avec quels adjectifs tu décrirais la marque ?
G : Euh… Bah pour décrire la marque… Prenons les élèves dans un lycée, t’en as toujours un
qui essaye de faire comme celui qui est le plus connu, le plus célèbre… C’est exactement pareil.
C : D’autres adjectifs qui te viennent quand tu vois ces images ?
G : Aucune individualité, pas de mise en avant du produit, c’est plus une mise en avant… je
reste toujours sur la copie, la contrefaçon, y a pas d’idée originale, quoi.
C : OK. Si tu retournes sur le premier lien, tu vois l’affiche avec la grand-mère ? (autre image)
G : Oui. Ben typiquement, même problème.
C : Est-ce que le côté grand-mère avec la coiffe bretonne te donne pas un côté plus breton,
celui-là ?
G : Ben tu vois, j’aurais eu la grand-mère qui aurait tenu la bouteille de Breizh Cola dans ses
mains face à la côté armoricaine très escarpée, sans sable, sans tonneaux, sans le, le, la bourgade
dans le fond qui fait très américaine, là je t’aurais dit que c’est breton. Avec de l’herbe, pas du
sable. C’est un décor texan, avec le tonneau texan, le Breizh Cola présenté comme le Coca Cola,
ils ont le même code couleur, rouge et blanc, euh… Ils ont… Rien que le choix des couleurs
c’est très jaune, ça fait plus Texas. Même la grand-mère on dirait plus qu’elle fait tâche (rit).
C’est triste à dire mais à mon sens…
C : Donc vraiment aucune originalité à tes yeux ?
G : Non.
C : OK. Euh…
G : Si je peux dire un truc, c’est que moi, j’aurais joué la carte jusqu’au bout pour Breizh Cola,
c’est-à-dire que j’aurais fait un packaging avec les couleurs du drapeau breton, j’aurais présenté
une grand-mère traditionnelle avec une côte verdoyante avec les falaises à pic de Bretagne, par
exemple de Brest, et euh…j’aurais euh, j’aurais mis la grand-mère au vent avec la pluie. Là ça
m’aurait parlé, là ça aurait été quelque chose d’original. Là, du rouge et du blanc, avec le Texas,
non, c’est du copié-collé.
C : D’accord. Est-ce que tu en as déjà goûté ?
G : Oui.
62
C : Et tu en as pensé quoi ?
G : Aucun intérêt.
C : C’est pareil, c’est moins bon que le Coca ou le Pepsi ?
G : C’est moins bon que le Coca, et le Pepsi… Ça fait longtemps que j’ai pas bu de Pepsi, mais
je pense que je trouve ça moins bon que le Pepsi.
C : OK. Euh, du coup, toi les affiches te donneraient pas envie de réessayer ?
G : Ah non !
C : D’accord. Alors, prenons un petit peu de recul sur le produit en lui-même. Qu’est-ce que tu
penses de l’idée en soi d’avoir un cola qui soit breton ?
G : Euh, bah, c’est une bonne idée, pourquoi pas faire une boisson gazeuse type cola breton,
basque, finlandais, de la Creuse, si ça les amuse, s’ils le font pourquoi pas. C’est une bonne
idée, c’est intéressant, au niveau du coût… C’est une idée originale, ça peut mettre en avant
une région, et puis s’ils ont une recette qui n’est pas une copie de celle du géant américain, avec
une différence au niveau des goûts, ça permet de développer une industrie… Voilà, c’est
intéressant comme idée, pourquoi pas. C’est vraiment « pourquoi pas ».
C : Est-ce que tu aimerais que ce soit bien que ce cola breton soit disponible ailleurs qu’en
Bretagne, en France ?
G : Ah mais il l’est déjà !
C : Tu es le premier à le savoir parmi ceux que j’ai interrogés, même parmi les Bretons.
G : Il y a des points dans toute la France, il est disponible un peu partout.
C : Et toi, tu en penses quoi ?
G : Ben ils développent leur industrie, très bien. Moi j’aime pas mais s’il y a des gens qui aiment
et qui ont enfin accès à ce produit parce qu’il est enfin disponible ailleurs qu’en Bretagne, depuis
un petit moment quand même, ben très bien.
C : D’accord. Est-ce que tu penses que ça peut avoir du succès ?
G : Non.
C : Pourquoi ?
G : Tout simplement parce que tant qu’ils seront dans une pâle copie de Coca Cola et qu’ils ne
sauront pas se montrer différent, je ne vois pas comment ils pourraient avoir du succès face au
géant qu’est Coca Cola. Il y a plus d’usines Coca Cola dans le monde qu’un pays n’a
d’ambassades ! Donc, à partir de ce moment-là, je vois pas comment ils peuvent combattre un
tel géant.
C : OK, merci. On va regarder une dernière image (Image N°2). Celle-là, qu’est-ce que tu en
penses ?
G : Y a toujours le code couleur rouge et blanc de Coca Cola qui est dominant. Après, y a un
petit peu plus un effort on va dire, fin c’était sûrement pour… Fin oui « le Breizh Cola débarque
à Paris », y a la logique du débarquement, ils ont mis le drapeau breton en haut de la tour
Eiffel… Euh… Alors déjà premièrement, mais ça ne concerne que moi, mon côté français va
dire que, bah, la Bretagne c’est un pays de France, donc le drapeau breton sur la tour Eiffel, en
symbolique au-dessus de la France, ça passe moyen (rit), mais après voilà c’est mon côté
personnel. Après sinon encore une fois, c’est pas Coca Cola, je vois pas l’intérêt pour eux de
faire ça. Pourquoi est-ce que la voiture n’est pas noire et blanche, par exemple, pourquoi les
parachutes ne sont pas blancs avec des boîtes noires qui tombent ? On voit des avions militaires,
c’est… Encore une fois, c’est trop Coca Cola, même si j’avoue qu’elle est mieux que les autres,
elle est un peu moins Coca Cola. Même si le code couleur est encore prédominant.
C : OK, je comprends. Est-ce que tu penses que le fait que le produit soit sorti de Bretagne, ça
risque de diluer sa valeur régionale, son identité régionale ou tu penses que ça changera rien ?
63
G : Ben non, si c’est produit selon la recette de Bretagne, ça change strictement rien pour moi.
C’est comme Coca Cola, s’il est produit en France, en Amérique ou en Afrique, ben ça reste le
même.
C : Très bien, merci beaucoup pour ton temps et tes réponses.
64
APPENDIX N°8 – SCREENSHOTS AND NETNOGRAPHY RESULTS
Appendix N°8-a) Screenshots of Breizh Cola’s official Facebook page
It gathers 50 494 likes and 48 335 subscribers (April 2017). The first picture shows the landing
page, the second one shows the online quiz to know “whether you are a true Breton person or
not” (which asks questions on vocabulary used in Bretagne only to be matched with their
translation in French). The third screenshot shows the Video page, which displays many videos,
including very short montages made by the company, but also interviews or journalistic reports.
The fourth and fifth ones show some pictures that are posted on the page by the brand and which
are often inspired by contemporary topics, like a new movie in theaters or cultural events like
Saint Patrick’s Day or April’s Fool… And the sixth one show how they play on the regional
Breton cultural identity with their members.
65
This quiz shows how much Breizh Cola plays on the regional identification process by
allowing Bretons to feel proud of succeeding in a quiz meant for them.
66
Image showing the different products of Breizh Cola adapted to the recent movie release of
the new Power Rangers.
Image showing one of Breizh Cola’s products adapted to Saint Patrick’s Day.
Image showing the regional branding on Breton culture saying “we do not choose to be
Bretons, we are just very lucky”.
They use the same design with the red and white color code on their pictures, and focus on
being fun and Breton, with puns and cultural references like private jokes.
67
Screenshot showing some comments of community members to a post saying “Someday,
Bretons will conquer the world”. Most people say “we already did”, celebrate Bretagne, wish
to get rid of Paris (#Breizhit) and to protect their culture and language or answer with other
funny jokes on “Not today I have pre-dinner drink” and so on.
Generally speaking, the ambiance on the Facebook page is rather relax and warm, with a lot
of humor. It’s mostly posts from the brand with a few comments and likes from followers,
frequent updates, quick answers from the brand to consumer questions and funny content
playing on regional culture or adapting pop culture to the products and to the region.
Mentions are rather positive, though the number of comments and likes is rather low.
Appendix N°8-b) Screenshots of Breizh Cola’s official Twitter account.
The first screenshot shows the landing page of the account, with the banner and profile picture
with the logo and name and colors of the brand. The account has 1 560 followers (April 2017).
68
The account is mostly used to inform members of news concerning the brand and the
Brasserie Lancelot, and a lot of retweets of Bretons users who have posted something about
the brand or of articles talking about the products or Bretagne. It is rather active (though with
some weeks without a tweet) and the retweets are always positive.
When we take a look at the tweets using the #breizhcola, we have on the one hand Bretons
people very proud of the product (“action citoyenne”, “meilleur”, “douceur”…), rather
positive mentions about the product and the pride of being Breton, and on the other hand,
non-Bretons people making fun of the brand (animated GIFS to express their disbelief when
they are in Bretagne and all they can get is Breizh Cola in bars and restaurants) or saying it is
not as good as the original Coca Cola brand. Mostly there are positive social mentions, not
very frequent.
69
Appendix n°8-c) Two screenshots of the website Ciao, on the topic about Breizh Cola
70
What stands out from the analysis of this page is that most consumers grade the product
“Excellent” (6/15) or “Great” (6/15), and the remaining graded it “Good” (3/15).
Most comments made about the brand are about its taste, its design (form, shape of the bottle,
colors), its price and distribution, and the fact it is a seen as a thumb to the nose at Coca Cola.
A few mentioned the slogan (pun with “Phare Ouest”) but none mentioned the identity or
image of the brand.
TASTE: Among the 15 comments on this page, the mentions about the taste were mitigated:
some consumers deemed it was way better than the “original” while others thought it was
exactly the same taste. Few thought it was worse than the other cola drinks. The strong
caramel flavor was frequently noted, both in a positive (original taste) and a negative way (too
sugary, unpleasant back taste). Also, they were mitigated about the sparkling aspect, some
thinking it had more bubbles and others that it had fewer bubbles than the original. Finally,
they agreed that the bubbles faded away very quickly. Concerning the composition, most were
also thinking it was rather identical to that of Coca Cola, except for the caramel flavor, and
perhaps even more sugary. It remained good, but not spectacular for some, and exceptional
for others.
DESIGN: the form, colors and shape were often deemed as very similar to those of Coca
Cola, which makes it difficult to spot in the shelves and makes it look like a pale imitation of
the famous American brand. Some thought it was nice in the design (glass bottle looking
more like a beer bottle) but was not practical (leaking bottle).
PRICE AND DISTRIBUTION: most thought it was a pity the product was only available in
Bretagne. Most also complained about the price, which was too high and more expensive than
the original Coca Cola. Some thought it was worth the price for the quality.
71
BRETAGNE VS USA: many were happy about the resistance of the region against the giant
American company Coca Cola, and saw in it a reference to Astérix and Obélix. Breton people
were proud and trying to sell the product absolutely, while visitors were proud of the product
for being a French one and tried to convince us to buy French instead of American. They
recognized the positive effect of this product on local economy and in the struggle against
American monopoly and hegemony. Seen as good initiative, though some thought it was just
Breton people being chauvinistic and imitating Americans while they were doing the same
thing.
SLOGAN: Satisfied with the pun, which is seemed as a thumb to the nose at Coca Cola and a
proof of independence and unicity.
GENERAL SENTIMENT: satisfaction, surprise, conviviality, consumers seduced, pride,

some disappointment (price, taste, design).
APPENDIX N°9 – RESPONDENTS IMAGE OF BRETAGNE
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2017

BREIZH COLA – BRANDING A

BRANDING MK103_02 – FINAL PAPER – 2017

2. BACKGROUND – THE CASE

2.1. COLA DRINKS – THE DOMINATION OF A FEW INTERNATIONAL BRANDS

IMAGE N°1: local cultural adaptation of Coca Cola in different countries

2.2. ALTERNATIVE COLA DRINKS – A COUNTERBALANCE OF COCA COLA’S HEGEMONY

2.3. BREIZH COLA – A BRETON REGIONAL PRODUCT STANDING UP TO GLOBAL BRANDS

3. THEORY AND LITERATURE REVIEW

3.1. WHAT IS A BRAND?

3.3. WHAT IS BRAND PERSONALITY?

3.4. WHAT IS BRAND IMAGE?

3.6. WHAT IS BRAND TERRITORY?

3.7. WHAT IS BRAND STRETCHING?

3.8. WHAT IS A BRAND COMMUNITY?

A brand community can be defined as “a specialized, non-geographically bound

SCHEMA N°2: a brand community model by David M. Kalman (2009)

3.9. WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BRANDS AND CULTURE?

3.10. WHAT IS BRANDING?

3.10.2. WHAT IS REGIONAL BRANDING?

4.2. RESEARCH DESIGN AND RATIONALE

4.3. DATA COLLECTION

A netnography is a research process where social media is studied by analyzing member

5.1. BREIZH COLA’S BRAND IDENTITY

IMAGE N°4: Breton regional flag.

5.1.3. Challenger spirit

5.2. BREIZH COLA’S BRAND IMAGE

5.2.1. FOR BRETON PEOPLE

5.2.2. FOR NON-BRETON PEOPLE

5.3. BREIZH COLA’S BRAND TERRITORY

5.4. BREIZH COLA’S EXTENSION STRATEGY

5.4.2. PERCEIVED BY NON-BRETON PEOPLE

5.4.3. BREIZH COLA’S LEGITIMATION DISCOURSE OF BRAND EXTENSION

Concerning the appreciation of Breizh Cola by respondents, we have to distinguish between

6.1. DISCUSSION OF RESULTS

IMAGE N°5: screenshot of the distribution map of Breizh Cola in France.

6.2. SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH

Business schools cases for students

Part I: Sodas and Bretagne

Part II a: For Bretons people

Image N°1 presented to interviewees to show the

Part II b: For non-Bretons People

C: Entretien N°1 avec Patrice. Bonjour Patrice, comment vas-tu ?

C: Entretien N°2 avec Corentin. Bonjour Corentin.

C: Entretien N°3, Emmanuel. Bonjour Emmanuel, comment vas-tu?

C: Entretien N°4, Aleksandra. Bonjour Aleksandra, comment vas-tu?

C: Entretien N°5, Sébastien. Salut Sébastien, ça va?

C: Entretien N°6, Grégoire. Bonjour Grégoire, comment vas-tu?

Appendix N°8-a) Screenshots of Breizh Cola’s official Facebook page

Appendix N°8-b) Screenshots of Breizh Cola’s official Twitter account.

GENERAL SENTIMENT: satisfaction, surprise, conviviality, consumers seduced, pride,

APPENDIX N°9 – RESPONDENTS IMAGE OF BRETAGNE

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