The Power of Brands and Advertising in Society

Brands and advertising do not operate in a “vacuum,” but are embedded within a societal environment that sets essential parameters for their development and communicative management. Starting from a systems theory perspective, it is shown that brands and advertising operate at the interface between the economic and social systems, where they perform the necessary coordination and integration functions. As part of this coordination and integration role, brands and advertising must closely monitor current developments and relevant trends in other social systems of society and integrate them into the brand management process in order to ensure continued relevance for their target groups. Thus, the relationship between brand and society is characterized by a reciprocal exchange process: societal trends and values influence ongoing brand development, while at the same time, brands can contribute to socio-cultural change within society. This is especially true in an era where brands differentiate themselves primarily through their emotional elements rather than through functional product differences.