A Dynamic Perspective on Symbolic Co-branding: The Co-creation of Multiple Brands’ Meaning in the Context of Blogs

Branding research increasingly acknowledges that brands are not solely the outcome of managerial efforts, but evolve through a continuous process of discursive interaction among multiple, networked stakeholders. Accordingly, brand management is no longer in the position to unilaterally define its brand’s meaning—a challenge that is accentuated when multiple brands form alliances. Focusing on symbolic co-branding, this paper aims to understand how involved brands’ meaning arises from discursive interactions in stakeholder networks (including brand management). A netnographic study in the context of lifestyle and fashion blogs provides in-depth insights into the evolvement of two symbolic co-branding processes. The results highlight various stakeholders’ role in and discursive strategies of creating and transferring meaning between involved brands and add unprecedented insights into symbolic co-branding as a continuous process of brand meaning co-creation.