The family business brand: cross-fertilization between fields
ISSN: 0025-1747
Article publication date: 30 January 2023
Issue publication date: 22 May 2023
Abstract
Purpose
Following a bibliometric approach, this study examines research on brand and branding in family businesses (FBs) to identify influential sources and main areas of knowledge, proposes an integrative framework that provides a holistic perspective of this field with an interdisciplinary cross-fertilization view and explores new avenues for future research and practice.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on 449 bibliographic references retrieved from the Web of Science database through a systematic process, the authors employed bibliographic coupling analysis to visualize the relationships among key works in the field and subsequently performed a literature review to deepen the analysis.
Findings
The bibliographic coupling analysis structured the existing research into six thematic clusters. Four of them follow an internal perspective and focus on FB identity and its influence on the construction of corporate brand identity, whereas the other two follow an external perspective that explores how FB brands are communicated and perceived by stakeholders and the influence of corporate brands and branding on FB image and reputation. Drawing from an in-depth review of the literature, this study offers a novel integrative framework, together with a set of proposals with managerial and theoretical implications.
Practical implications
The proposed framework aims to clarify the relationship between internal identity and management to build and communicate a FB brand. The study also shows the symbiosis that exists among family values, corporate reputation, brand equity and awareness in FBs. The existing interconnection between the family and business generates unique associations that are difficult to imitate.
Originality/value
This study is the first documented attempt at a bibliometric analysis of brands and branding in FBs, which serves to clarify the linkages between different research streams and connecting marketing, organization and FB literature to guide future research. Moreover, the integrative framework provides researchers and practitioners with a better understanding of its scope, highlighting the importance of corporate brand strategies beyond the boundaries of marketing departments.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This research was partially supported by the Consolidated Research Group funding from the Basque Government under the grant number IT1641-22. It also received financial support from the Spanish MCIU/AEI/FEDER-UE under the grant number RTI2018-097579-B-I00. The authors would like to express appreciation to Professor Randolph-Seng and the two anonymous referees for their insightful comments on earlier versions of this article, although any errors are entirely the authors' own responsibility. The authors also highly appreciate the institutional support received from the Family Business Centre at the UPV/EHU in collaboration with the DFB/BFA and from the Consolidated Research Group (Code OE7) at the University of Vigo (Spain).
Citation
Aparicio, G., Maseda, A., Iturralde, T. and Zorrilla, P. (2023), "The family business brand: cross-fertilization between fields", Management Decision, Vol. 61 No. 6, pp. 1585-1611. https://doi.org/10.1108/MD-04-2022-0445
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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