Resumo

Recently, researchers have shown an intensified interest in applying ‘brand reputation’ into their studies. Yet, the current research of "brand reputation" has not been developed under a robust theoretical structure and definition. We adopted narrative review to explore, describe, analyze, and classify bibliographic data by framing representative outlines on the ‘brand reputation’ construct as a unit of analysis of the extant literature.

A considerable literature has been published on branding elements since its classical debates (Aaker, 1991; Aaker, 1996; Butler, 1914; Kapferer, 1995; Keller, 1993; Keller, 1993; Milewicz & Herbig, 1994), yet little attention has been paid to the conceptualization and the evolution of the construct of brand reputation. The purpose of this research in progress is to consider the theoretical definitions of ‘brand reputation’ in the existing literature according to the scientific orientations and substantial conditions in the formation of the construct itself, by proving a future agenda.

“Reputation is more than pure information: it is evaluated information – a shortcut of the many judgments and interpretations that people have cumulated about an actor”, says Origgi (2012, p. 402). Therefore, “the development of brand reputation means more than keeping consumers satisfied, it is something a company earns over time and refers to how various audiences evaluate the brand” (Veloutsou & Moutinho, 2009, p.315). We aligned this principle to this paper’s rationale: “…brands can be visualized as repositories of reputation” (Milewicz & Herbig, 1994, p. 46).

The use of the term is produced without an in-depth approach in several and diverse areas of knowledge. In addition to this identified drawback, there are theoretical and practical losses in the potential of this strategical-based construct for building knowledge on the branding research domain. The construct is still used from several perspectives. On the one hand, this shows the versatility of the topic and its need to unveil findings from various areas. However, on the other hand, this shows the latent demand for a conceptual organization of the term.

There is no widely accepted definition of the term ‘brand reputation’ in the literature. The use of the term is produced without an in-depth approach in several and diverse areas of knowledge. In addition to this identified drawback, there are theoretical and practical losses in the potential of this strategical-based construct for building knowledge on the branding research domain. In this direction, firstly, we recommend prioritizing empirical studies towards the development and conceptualization of the construct ‘brand reputation’ per ser.

Frost, A. R., & Cooke, C. (1999). Brand v reputation: Managing an intangible asset. Journal of Brand Management, 7(2), 81-87. Johnson, Z. S., Mao, H., Lefebvre, S., & Ganesh, J. (2019). Good guys can finish first: How brand reputation affects extension evaluations. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 29(4), 565-583. Origgi, G. (2019). Reputation: What it is and why it Matters. Princeton University Press.