Three Themes for the Future of Brands in a Changing Consumer Marketplace

The purpose of our conceptual introduction is to theorize how brands will continue to be relevant in the future marketplace. We identify three themes that emerge in this special issue that offer intriguing directions for future exploration and managerial action. The first theme is that because of brands’ pervasiveness, consumers have developed a meta concept of “brands” that shapes how consumers think about the market, themselves, and others. While marketers consider the power of a particular brand as a valued consumer resource, this theme speaks to the power of “brands” as a category. The second theme contributes to a growing conversation highlighting consumer agency in relation to brands. Consumers manage their relationships with brands; selectively draw on media to create their own brand narratives; and can even upend the “rules” of brand management. The final theme is that brand owners must balance continuity and change, recognizing that brand contestation and cultural change are both inevitable. Brands need to actively consider the sometimes polarized, contesting and agentic voices of consumers and other actors, finding ways to positively influence firm and societal outcomes. We hope this special issue spurs continued new research to imagine future complex dynamics of consumers and brands.