IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/eurman/v36y2018i3p301-305.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Brand management: Unveiling the delusion of control

Author

Listed:
  • Wider, Serena
  • von Wallpach, Sylvia
  • Mühlbacher, Hans

Abstract

Mainstream brand management literature views brands as products or organisations carrying brand names and brand managers as being in control of brand-related actions and outcomes. By contrast, recent empirical research shows the substantial influence of stakeholders on brands. Together with brand management, stakeholders shape brands by participating in brand-related interaction. European brand research accordingly treats brands as ongoing and complex processes in constant flux. Nevertheless, literature suffers from a significant lack of theoretical underpinnings for understanding brands as complex processes; in this respect, building on European philosophy is a fruitful avenue. This paper introduces the metaphor of the rhizome and draws on European process philosophy to further develop an integrative processual understanding of brands. Brand management claiming control over brands as processes turns out to be a delusion.

Suggested Citation

  • Wider, Serena & von Wallpach, Sylvia & Mühlbacher, Hans, 2018. "Brand management: Unveiling the delusion of control," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 36(3), pages 301-305.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:eurman:v:36:y:2018:i:3:p:301-305
    DOI: 10.1016/j.emj.2018.03.006
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S026323731830046X
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.emj.2018.03.006?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Celia Lury, 2009. "Brand As Assemblage," Journal of Cultural Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 2(1-2), pages 67-82, July.
    2. Fournier, Susan, 1998. "Consumers and Their Brands: Developing Relationship Theory in Consumer Research," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 24(4), pages 343-373, March.
    3. Anonymous, 2013. "Introduction to the Issue," Journal of Wine Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 8(2), pages 129-130, November.
    4. Mary M. Crossan, 1998. "Improvisation in Action," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 9(5), pages 593-599, October.
    5. von Wallpach, Sylvia & Voyer, Benjamin & Kastanakis, Minas & Mühlbacher, Hans, 2017. "Co-creating stakeholder and brand identities: Introduction to the special section," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 395-398.
    6. Eli Berniker, 1998. "Working the Jazz Metaphor: Musings Driving Down I-5 Past Midnight," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 9(5), pages 583-585, October.
    7. Gyrd-Jones, Richard I. & Kornum, Niels, 2013. "Managing the co-created brand: Value and cultural complementarity in online and offline multi‐stakeholder ecosystems," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 66(9), pages 1484-1493.
    8. von Wallpach, Sylvia & Hemetsberger, Andrea & Espersen, Peter, 2017. "Performing identities: Processes of brand and stakeholder identity co-construction," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 443-452.
    9. Berthon, Pierre & Pitt, Leyland F. & Campbell, Colin, 2009. "Does brand meaning exist in similarity or singularity?," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 62(3), pages 356-361, March.
    10. Anonymous, 2013. "Introduction to the Issue," Journal of Wine Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 8(3), pages 243-243, December.
    11. Frank J. Barrett & Ken Peplowski, 1998. "Minimal Structures Within a Song: An Analysis of “All of Me”," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 9(5), pages 558-560, October.
    12. Marius K. Luedicke & Craig J. Thompson & Markus Giesler, 2010. "Consumer Identity Work as Moral Protagonism: How Myth and Ideology Animate a Brand-Mediated Moral Conflict," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 36(6), pages 1016-1032, April.
    13. Muniz, Albert M, Jr & O'Guinn, Thomas C, 2001. "Brand Community," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 27(4), pages 412-432, March.
    14. Kozinets, Robert, 2017. "Brand Networks as the Interplay of Identities, Selves, and Turtles: Commentary on “Interplay between intended brand identity and identities in a Nike related brand community: Co-existing synergies and," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 441-442.
    15. Fuller, Johann & Jawecki, Gregor & Muhlbacher, Hans, 2007. "Innovation creation by online basketball communities," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 60(1), pages 60-71, January.
    16. Asmussen, Bjoern & Harridge-March, Sally & Occhiocupo, Nicoletta & Farquhar, Jillian, 2013. "The multi-layered nature of the internet-based democratization of brand management," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 66(9), pages 1473-1483.
    17. Rydén, Pernille & Ringberg, Torsten & Wilke, Ricky, 2015. "How Managers' Shared Mental Models of Business–Customer Interactions Create Different Sensemaking of Social Media," Journal of Interactive Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 31(C), pages 1-16.
    18. Vallaster, Christine & von Wallpach, Sylvia, 2013. "An online discursive inquiry into the social dynamics of multi-stakeholder brand meaning co-creation," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 66(9), pages 1505-1515.
    19. Fournier, Susan & Avery, Jill, 2011. "The uninvited brand," Business Horizons, Elsevier, vol. 54(3), pages 193-207, May.
    20. Brodie, Roderick J. & Ilic, Ana & Juric, Biljana & Hollebeek, Linda, 2013. "Consumer engagement in a virtual brand community: An exploratory analysis," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 66(1), pages 105-114.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Maria Vernuccio, 2018. "What is happening to the brand?," MERCATI & COMPETITIVIT?, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2018(4), pages 7-13.
    2. Riedmeier, Julia & Kreuzer, Maria, 2022. "Me versus we: The role of luxury brand managers in times of co-creation," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 145(C), pages 240-252.
    3. Aimé, Isabelle & Berger-Remy, Fabienne & Laporte, Marie-Eve, 2022. "The brand, the persona and the algorithm: How datafication is reconfiguring marketing work☆," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 145(C), pages 814-827.
    4. Siano, Alfonso & Vollero, Agostino & Bertolini, Alessandra, 2022. "From brand control to brand co-creation: An integrated framework of brand paradigms and emerging brand perspectives," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 152(C), pages 372-386.
    5. Korzynski, Pawel & Mazurek, Grzegorz & Haenlein, Michael, 2020. "Leveraging employees as spokespeople in your HR strategy: How company-related employee posts on social media can help firms to attract new talent," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 38(1), pages 204-212.
    6. Ronan Kervenoael & Alexandre Schwob & Inci Toral Manson & Chatlada Ratana, 2022. "Business-to-business and self-governance practice in the digital knowledge economy: learning from pharmaceutical e-detailing in Thailand," Asian Business & Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 21(4), pages 598-622, September.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Voyer, Benjamin G. & Kastanakis, Minas N. & Rhode, Ann Kristin, 2017. "Co-creating stakeholder and brand identities: A cross-cultural consumer perspective," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 399-410.
    2. Siano, Alfonso & Vollero, Agostino & Bertolini, Alessandra, 2022. "From brand control to brand co-creation: An integrated framework of brand paradigms and emerging brand perspectives," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 152(C), pages 372-386.
    3. Ramaswamy, Venkat & Ozcan, Kerimcan, 2016. "Brand value co-creation in a digitalized world: An integrative framework and research implications," International Journal of Research in Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 33(1), pages 93-106.
    4. Andreini, Daniela & Pedeliento, Giuseppe & Zarantonello, Lia & Solerio, Chiara, 2018. "A renaissance of brand experience: Advancing the concept through a multi-perspective analysis," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 91(C), pages 123-133.
    5. Andreini, Daniela & Pedeliento, Giuseppe & Zarantonello, Lia & Solerio, Chiara, 2019. "Reprint of "A renaissance of brand experience: Advancing the concept through a multi-perspective analysis"," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 96(C), pages 355-365.
    6. Koivisto, Elina & Mattila, Pekka, 2020. "Extending the luxury experience to social media – User-Generated Content co-creation in a branded event," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 117(C), pages 570-578.
    7. Pera, Rebecca & Occhiocupo, Nicoletta & Clarke, Jackie, 2016. "Motives and resources for value co-creation in a multi-stakeholder ecosystem: A managerial perspective," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 69(10), pages 4033-4041.
    8. Essamri, Azzouz & McKechnie, Sally & Winklhofer, Heidi, 2019. "Co-creating corporate brand identity with online brand communities: A managerial perspective," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 96(C), pages 366-375.
    9. Sarasvuo, Sonja & Rindell, Anne & Kovalchuk, Marina, 2022. "Toward a conceptual understanding of co-creation in branding," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 139(C), pages 543-563.
    10. Oriol Iglesias & Nicholas Ind, 2020. "Towards a theory of conscientious corporate brand co-creation: the next key challenge in brand management," Journal of Brand Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 27(6), pages 710-720, November.
    11. Asmussen, Bjoern & Harridge-March, Sally & Occhiocupo, Nicoletta & Farquhar, Jillian, 2013. "The multi-layered nature of the internet-based democratization of brand management," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 66(9), pages 1473-1483.
    12. Maria Vernuccio, 2018. "What is happening to the brand?," MERCATI & COMPETITIVIT?, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2018(4), pages 7-13.
    13. Wang, Hui-Ming Deanna & Sengupta, Sanjit, 2016. "Stakeholder relationships, brand equity, firm performance: A resource-based perspective," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 69(12), pages 5561-5568.
    14. von Wallpach, Sylvia & Hemetsberger, Andrea & Espersen, Peter, 2017. "Performing identities: Processes of brand and stakeholder identity co-construction," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 443-452.
    15. Suomi, Kati & Luonila, Mervi & Tähtinen, Jaana, 2020. "Ironic festival brand co-creation," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 106(C), pages 211-220.
    16. Vasile-Daniel Păvăloaia & Elena-Mădălina Teodor & Doina Fotache & Magdalena Danileţ, 2019. "Opinion Mining on Social Media Data: Sentiment Analysis of User Preferences," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(16), pages 1-21, August.
    17. Coelho, Pedro Simões & Rita, Paulo & Santos, Zélia Raposo, 2018. "On the relationship between consumer-brand identification, brand community, and brand loyalty," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 101-110.
    18. Shi, Lei & Miles, Angela, 2020. "Non-effectual, non-customer effectual, or customer-effectual: A conceptual exploration of the applicability of the effectuation logic in startup brand identity construction," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 113(C), pages 168-179.
    19. Tajvidi, Mina & Richard, Marie-Odile & Wang, YiChuan & Hajli, Nick, 2020. "Brand co-creation through social commerce information sharing: The role of social media," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 121(C), pages 476-486.
    20. Emanuela Jurietti & Andreina Mandelli & Morana Fudurić, 2017. "How do virtual corporate social responsibility dialogs generate value? A case study of The Unilever Sustainable Living Lab," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 24(5), pages 357-367, September.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:eurman:v:36:y:2018:i:3:p:301-305. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/115/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.