Handbook of Media Branding

In this chapter we acknowledge the branding process as an interplay between brand owners, consumers, popular culture, and other stakeholders. This interdependence between management practices and the external environment is becoming increasingly evident, not the least in the field of media. In a world of social and participatory media, consumers are given more and more opportunities to interact with, and through, their favorite brands. On the one hand these interactions may be signs of deep and sincere appreciation, while at the same time making brands more and more difficult to control or direct from a managerial point of view. This has led brand managers and researchers to identify a need for new insights into the cultures of brands. The research on consumer culture that has evolved over the past decades has the power to provide guidance. This chapter offers an introduction to researching and theorizing how consumers engage in the social construction of media brands and points out a handful of promising research areas.