Corporate Reputation Review, Vol. 16, No. 3, pp. 187–205 © 2013 Macmillan Publishers Ltd., 1363-3589 Corporate Reputation Review Volume 16 Number 3 www.palgrave-journals.com/crr/ ABSTRACT The ever-growing competition in the market leads to a paradigm shift that started from a competition on the basis of products, led to a competition based on problem solutions and strategies, and, finally, is currently a competi- tion referring to identities and reputation. As corporate reputation is constituted on the basis of continuous interaction with stakeholders over time, the earlier actions of a company as well as its history and heritage are of special impor- tance. With reference to consumers to whom heritage is meaningful, the heritage of a brand can result in an intensified brand loyalty and the willingness to accept higher prices. However, better knowledge of the conditions and drivers of brand heritage, and the effects of brand her- itage on corporate reputation and stakeholder perception behavior, is still needed. The main research goal of this paper is to examine the crucial role of brand heritage as an essential driver of corporate reputation and customer value perception, as well as its effects on brand image and customer buying intention. Corporate Reputation Review (2013) 16, 187–205. doi:10.1057/crr.2013.10 KEYWORDS: brand heritage; corporate repu- tation; customer behavior INTRODUCTION There are two things children should get from their parents: roots and wings . Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Understood as a result of a firm’s interactions with stakeholders (Fombrun and van Riel, 2003), corporate reputation is formed over time, based on company actions (Balmer and Greyser, 2003). Hence, aspects of tradition, heritage and history play a substantial role Brand Heritage and its Impact on Corporate Reputation: Corporate Roots as a Vision for the Future Klaus-Peter Wiedmann Institute of Marketing and Management, Leibniz University of Hannover , Hannover , Germany Nadine Hennigs Institute of Marketing and Management, Leibniz University of Hannover , Hannover , Germany Steffen Schmidt Institute of Marketing and Management, Leibniz University of Hannover , Hannover , Germany Thomas Wuestefeld Institute of Marketing and Management, Leibniz University of Hannover , Hannover , Germany