The Potential Manifestation Of Place As A Brand Component Of Regional Meat: The Case of Herdwick Lamb

Abstract

Purpose – to explore respondents’ knowledge of regional meat, including the pre-product stage i.e. in the landscape. Herdwick Lamb is highly visible in the landscape and forms part of the ‘lifescape’ of local residents.
Method – means-end chain analysis was selected to gather customer values relating to this broader product concept. Twenty ladder maps and a hierarchical value map identified the most frequent connections made.
Findings – respondents hold a range of perceptions, experiences and associations with the ‘pre-product’, which influence their judgement of the quality of the meat. Satisfaction of other functions result from purchase of regional meat such as: the need to make a contribution to the local economy and ecology, and to know the place through community interaction. Respondents were found to interact with the landscape on two levels, perception and inner reflection.
Practical implications – effective regional food brands may not have the food product details at their core. The development of relationships, events and brand communities in a shared place may sustain producers who have their volume output limited by what the land will bear.
Originality and value –an opportunity for creation of a new category of attribute, relating to experience of ‘pre-products’ in the landscape is discussed.