Mapping the “roots” of the consumer's image‐in‐use of companies

The purpose of this paper is to introduce a tool for mapping how consumers' past experiences influence the consumer's present corporate brand image.

A qualitative approach was used for analysing in‐depth conversational interviews collected on three IKEA markets (Sweden, Finland, and Germany).

The study shows that the tool gives an understanding of how past and present brand experiences are inter‐dependent.

The paper gives management an insight into consumers' perspectives of their corporate brand.

The value of the paper is that it offers a practical tool for mapping the roots of companies' current corporate brand images.