Dynamic brand positioning: a firm-customer synergistic strategy of brand meaning cocreation in a hyperconnected world

Abstract

PurposeThis study aims to explore how cocreated brand meaning builds and affects dynamic brand positioning in a hyperconnected world.Design/methodology/approachThe authors conducted a qualitative study of Casarte, a high-end appliance brand, as an instrumental case for conceptualizing and theorizing. This study constructs a matrix of dynamic brand positioning as the key analysis framework using in-depth interview data, firm materials and user-generated content from online brand communities.FindingsThe matrix of dynamic brand positioning has two dimensions: brand core and peripheral meaning, and firm- and customer-led orientation. The interaction between the firm and its customers strengthens the understanding of a brand’s core meaning and consistency perception, expands the scope of brand peripheral meaning and improves the perception of brand meaning diversity. The mutual transformation of the ambidexterity of core and peripheral meanings facilitates the dynamic positioning of brands.Research limitations/implicationsThis study is a qualitative case study; the relevant conclusions have not been tested empirically. If longitudinal data of actual tracking support the effect of dynamic brand positioning, the theory’s reliability can be more rigorously tested.Practical implicationsIt provides managerial logic and a tool for firms to practice dynamic brand positioning in a hyperconnected world, which contributes to the implementation of the emerging firm-customer synergistic strategy.Originality/valueThis study proposes a construct of dynamic brand positioning supported by qualitative evidence. It disputes the traditional view that brand positioning is determined by the perception of core meaning consistency and creatively puts forward the view that brand positioning evolves dynamically with the mutual transformation of the ambidexterity of brand core meaning and peripheral meaning.