Expatriates’ Nostalgic Brand Relationships. Case Fazer Blue Chocolate

The purpose of this study is to describe and analyze Finnish expatriates’ nostalgic brand relationships with the Karl Fazer milk chocolate. The theoretical framework is built around brand relationships with a particular focus on evolvement of brand relationships. This case study is conducted as a multi-method qualitative research, where seven in-depth interviews are combined with 167 units of netnographic data. These two methods enable triangulation of data, clarify the interpretation process and provide a multidimensional understanding of the topic. The data analysis follows a narrative interpretation framework. The brand of interest is the Karl Fazer milk chocolate called as Fazer Blue, the renowned Finnish milk chocolate brand. The empirical data uncovers story-like narratives of consumption and brand experiences. Brand relationships are found to play a prominent part in identity transition. In the case of Fazer Blue, the long-term brand relationship is protected by love felt toward the brand. Fazer Blue evokes strong meanings and memories. Clear evidence of the evolving nature of brand relationships emerges from the empirical data. Due to the distance, the importance of the brand increases. In light of empirical findings, it is suggested that in practice, expatriates and their insight should be better heard, understood and utilized in terms of brand development.