Marketing and branding in family business: Assessing the landscape and charting a path forward

Abstract

Prior research on family business branding has identified a range of benefits related to promoting a firm’s family status, such as increased customer trust and loyalty. Much less attention has been paid to the possible downsides of such a strategy, for example the negative associations the family firm status can create among stakeholders, like perceptions of nepotism or lack of professionalism. The purpose of this editorial is to introduce the reader to the articles featured in this special issue, which is dedicated to furthering our understanding of the facets of family business branding. Only by gaining a more nuanced understanding of the phenomenon will we be able to provide meaningful guidance to the family business community.