The Legitimate Brand

EXTENDED ABSTRACT - Certain brands attain legitimacyBthat is, social fitnessB through dynamic framing processes described in this article. Drawing on qualitative data collected from gay consumers, this article explores the ways brands are co-created in a gay men’s community community. Collective action frames, the shared ways of interpreting meanings within social interaction, provide the connection between a community and its socially legitimate brands. Informants routinely inscribe some brands with the frames of the gay community, andBwhen applying brand litmus tests, bridging, and delegitimizing a brandBassess whether other brands share a fit with the sociocultural meanings of the gay community.

Citation:

Steven M. Kates (2005) ,"The Legitimate Brand", in NA - Advances in Consumer Research Volume 32, eds. Geeta Menon and Akshay R. Rao, Duluth, MN : Association for Consumer Research, Pages: 643-643.