The Patrimonialization of brands: An Empirical Exploration of two Branded Museums[La patrimonialización de las marcas: una exploración empírica de dos museos de marcas]

In order to differentiate themselves within saturated markets, brands are constantly looking for distinctive ways to create value. Thus, they often turn to techniques inspired by the worlds of arts and culture. The integration of brands within the world of art is perfectly illustrated by the development of branded museums. Hybrid institutions at the crossroads of culture and commerce, these museums have up until now been analyzed in marketing research as simply spectacular sales spaces. This article proposes to analyze these branded museums through the prism of heritage studies, in order to understand the process of turning a brand into a cultural artefact, redefining its relationship with clients beyond that of commerce. An ethnographic exploration of two branded museums — the Fallot Museum and the Vache qui rit House — allows us to identify the values (tradition, authenticity, significance, rarity and beauty) and the operational techniques that transform a product into a cultural object. The results highlight the roles taken on by a brand in this heritage context: the role of intergenerational outreach and of regional representation. In addition to a brand's capacity to fit into a cultural context, this article underlines the weakening of its commercial function within these museums.