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Review of Marketing Research
Naresh K. Malhotra, Editor

Volume 12: Special Issue on:
Title: Brand Meaning Management
Deborah J. MacInnis (University of Southern California) and C. Whan Park (University of Southern California), Co-Editors of the Special Issue

Establishing, expanding, protecting, leveraging and revitalizing brand meaning is critically important yet exceedingly complex. On the one hand, successful brand meaning management is foundational to both brand differentiation and to establishing strong and enduring brand-customer relationships. Strong brand relationships that are grounded in strong brand attachment are critically important to outcomes like brand loyalty, brand advocacy, and consumers’ motivations to join forces with others in establishing brand communities. In turn, these outcomes drive market share, brand profitability, brand equity, growth and shareholder value (see Figure).

Although a growing body of literature has focused on establishing or creating brand meaning, managing this meaning over time is complex, dynamic and multi-determined. Moving from the point of establishing brand meaning to expanding its meaning, protecting it, and revitalizing it when necessary is influenced by meaning makers from within as well as outside the firm. Within the firm, a given brand’s meaning may emanate from marketing communications, yet this fundamental meaning is often grounded in and sometimes constrained by the context of the set of brands that comprise the company’s brand architecture. Moreover, influences on brand meaning management reside not just within the firm but also with other meaning makers such as consumers, competitors, celebrities and regulators. Some meaning makers are favorably disposed to the brand (brand champions); others are not (brand detractors). Moreover meaning makers from both inside and outside the firm can use social media to impact thousands at once. Brands with strong brand meanings are also subject to counterfeit brands that can either highjack/threaten or even bolster brand meaning. Managing these complex and interacting forces so as to prevent dilution or distortion of brand meaning is thus critical.

As well, brand meaning management may vary by market, with the nature, importance, and processes of brand meaning management varying across market types (B2B and B2C markets) economies (developed, developing and underdeveloped economies), countries (free market-oriented and controlled) and cultures.

The objective of this special issue to dive into issues related to brand meaning management. Relevant papers will provide novel theoretical, empirical and/or managerial insights into issues that shed light on our understanding of brand meaning management.

Following the Figure, topics include (but are not limited to):

1. The processes by which brand meanings are expanded, protected and revitalized
2. The role of brand architecture design in brand meaning management
3. Varying effects of different types of media and marketing communications on brand meaning transformation
4. Strategies and tactics that can limit the impact of brand transgressions on brand meaning
5. Strategies and tactics that prevent brand meaning co-optation and brand dilution.
6. Measurement tools that identify brand promoters and activities that harness their power
7. Measurement tools that identify brand detractors and activities that neutralize their negative influence
8. The role and impact of brand meanings in various markets (B2C, B2C), cultures, countries (free market vs. closed), and economies (i.e., third world, emerging and established economies)
9. The psychological, sociological, and anthropological factors that foster strong brand relationships and brand attachment (and their psychological and economic outcomes).
10. Insight into the role of brand relationships and attachment in brand meaning expansion, protection and revitalization.

Papers may be either purely conceptual or a blend of conceptual and empirical work.

Email completed manuscripts (as WORD documents) following the RMR style guidelines (visit

)

by January 1, 2014 to:

Deborah J. MacInnis
Charles L. and Ramona I. Hilliard Professor of Business Administration
Professor of Marketing
ACC 306C
Marshall School of Business
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA 90089-0443
macinnis@marshall.usc.edu

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