From brand control to brand co-creation: An integrated framework of brand paradigms and emerging brand perspectives

Branding is constantly and rapidly changing. Digital transformation and the pervasiveness of social media platforms are forcing companies to move away from the traditional command-and-control approach to branding, towards a co-creation approach involving multiple stakeholders. The proposed integrative literature review provides a holistic understanding of the evolutionary trajectories in branding research, by identifying a paradigm shift from brand control to brand co-creation, and emerging perspectives in the field. Brand co-creation perspectives reveal different boundaries and degrees of openness, as well as novel roles for managers, who are encouraged to embrace an open and participatory leadership style and foster a supportive and conscientious corporate culture. An integrated conceptual framework and future research avenues are offered, outlining the directions in which branding is moving, offering scholars and practitioners insights into both collaborative and non-collaborative instances of brand co-creation.