Digital Representation of the Coffee Culture and Cultural Heritage by Chinese Indonesian and Malaysian Coffee Brands

Abstract

Objective - The existing literature contains no studies examining the issue of coffee culture and cultural heritage in the context of coffee brands’ websites evaluations. There are some well-known local coffee manufacturer brands in Indonesia and Malaysia respectively, and some of them are actually created by immigrated Chinese businessmen many decades ago. This study aims to delineate an understanding on digital representation of coffee culture and cultural heritage of Chinese Indonesian and Malaysian coffee brands through discourse methods associated with the analysis of intertextuality, and/or content which refers to content in other presentation forms and texts. Methodology/Technique - These coffee brands’ websites reinforce local identities, through the creation and diffusion of a discourse of identification. Computer-mediated discourse analysis (CMDA) was carried out by focusing on one coffee brand in Malaysia and Indonesia respectively whose owners are Chinese diasporas. This study follows the basic methodological orientation of CMDA which is language-focused content analysis. Findings – The results indicate that the Malaysian coffee brand accommodates Malaysia Chinese culture and heritage while the Chinese Indonesian coffee brand does not illustrate its own ethnic roots in all digital branding and marketing activities. Both brands in this study prioritise the coffee process technology on their websites. Novelty - The existing literatures primarily discusses food culture from sociohistorical perspective. Coffee cultures have been increasingly transnational in both Indonesia and Malaysia. Some earlier studies talked about the dynamics of coffee production in these regions, however, this study specifically examines the discourse of coffee culture represented by the most representative coffee brands in these two countries where little attention is given to their websites and relevant content patterns. Type of Paper: Empirical. JEL Classification: L2, L23 Keywords: Corporate Websites, Coffee Brands, Cultural Heritage, Indonesia, Malaysia. Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Changsong, W; Rahman, T; Sadat, A.A; Amalia, A; Sudiwijaya, E. (2021). Digital Representation of the Coffee Culture and Cultural Heritage by Chinese Indonesian and Malaysian Coffee Brands, Journal of Management and Marketing Review, 6(2), 137 – 145. https://doi.org/10.35609/jmmr.2021.6.2(5)