Ethnic brand identity work: Responding to authenticity tensions through celebrity endorsement in brand digital self-presentation

Abstract

Based on an exploratory thematic analysis of the interviews with representatives of brands with intense ethnic digital self-presentation and on confirmatory analysis of the content of the brands’ digital media, this qualitative study introduces a notion of brand identity work. Four contributions are made: theorising brand identity work as a process of identity construction that involves brand building and brand presentation; unpacking a typology of tensions between brand building and brand presentation specific to ethnic marketing; suggesting a dynamic view of authenticity and uncovering a typology of presentation strategies that address these conflicts. We find that behind the tensions between brand-building and brand presentation stands brands’ concern about authenticity. Depending on the type of authenticity tensions, brands develop self-presentation strategies, notably, celebrity endorsement. Social media content analysis shows that brands use self-presentation strategies separately or in combination.