Heritage Marketing and Brand Storytelling in the Chinese Baijiu Industry: The Case of Kweichow Moutai

This thesis examines the role of heritage marketing and brand storytelling in the Chinese baijiu industry through the case of Kweichow Moutai, a premium distillery based in Guizhou Province and widely recognized as one of the most historically significant producers in the sector. Baijiu, a Chinese distilled spirit made from fermented grains with a millenia-old tradition, constitutes not only the world’s largest spirits market by volume, but also a culturally embedded product that occupies a central position in Chinese social rituals, political history and practices of status display. In this context, the strategic mobilization of the past functions as a critical resource for brand differentiation and premium positioning. This study adopts an in-depth qualitative analysis of Kweichow Moutai as a case study and addresses three central research questions. First, it explores how heritage is constructed within the Chinese baijiu market, where corporate history often intersects with national history and where state-sponsored designations such as “China Time-Honored Brands” formally institutionalise the value of the past. Second, it examines the mechanisms through which Moutai integrates corporate and cultural heritage into its branding strategies. Third, it assesses the extent to which heritage-based storytelling reinforces brand legitimacy and prestige in both domestic and international markets through a SWOT analysis.