This special issue reconceptualizes the meaning of cross-cultural research and challenges researchers to broaden their scope to include a variety of cultures, including virtual ethnicities. This introductory article provides commentary on the thirteen articles that follow in this special issue...

Purpose: Brand identities have a dual nature that appeals to the head (rational appeal) and to the heart (emotional appeal) of their consumers. Furthermore, consumers can process information in a predominately analytic or intuitive cognitive style (CS) manner. This study aims to analyze the...

Purpose: In response to consumer and society demands for firms to be socially responsible, brands have been taking a strategic approach to corporate social responsibility (CSR) by integrating socially responsible activities into their brands’ core value propositions to strengthen brand...

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether voters consider a candidate’s brand image when evaluating election alternatives. That is, how prominent a role does the candidate brand image have in the decision-making process? As election outcomes are behavior-driven, the goal is...

Purpose: This paper aims to shed light on the emerging position of companies taking stances on sociopolitical issues and the impact this has on consumers. Design/methodology/approach: The paper uses focus groups, interviews and consumer experiments in various countries, to provide insights as...

Purpose: Despite the growing consensus that consumers extensively use online reviews and that negative reviews can significantly damage brand equity, it remains uncertain whether negative online reviews that focus on different aspects of a service have a similar or differential effect on brand...

Purpose: This paper aims to examine the impact that brand transgressions, and the effect of an apology or lack thereof, have on consumers’ intentions to co-create with a brand, perceived brand equity and brand love, and compares these effects on brands that are viewed positively versus brands...

Purpose: The fundamental question asked in this study is – should all firms engage in innovation and branding activities to the same extent to achieve their goals? The purpose of this paper is to answer this question, a strategic typology that integrates branding and innovation (BI) from an...