Brand Management Paradigms

The present article is concerned with the identification and analysis of current approaches toward brand management. Four paradigms are introduced that cluster disparate assumptions and processes of conceptualising and managing brands. An organization's dominant paradigm determines its understanding of brands, the process and content of brand strategy and, consequently, their potential contribution to competitive advantage. The increasing recognition, by both managers and academics, of the significance of brands as sources of sustained competitive advantage accentuates the importance of validating and refining the premises and models underlying organizations' brand strategies.