Brand Management: Research, theory and practice

data in this approach when attempting to shed light on the cultural aspect of brands
and branding. What makes the methods and data stand out compared with their use
in the other approaches is the macro-level interpretation they are subjected to. The
informants are not assumed to speak entirely idiosyncratic beliefs and opinions, but
rather they are considered representatives of the surrounding culture.

Managerial implications

The managerial implications of the cultural approach can roughly be divided into
two. A marketer can choose to implement the cultural branding model through
and through in the attempt to follow in the footsteps of the iconic brands. A brand
manager can also benefit from insight into this approach by becoming aware of
cultural criticism and using it as an add-on to the chosen branding strategy.
Finally some thoughts on the managerial implications of the citizen-artist brand,
which more or less is a merger between the two.

The management of an iconic brand

The brand manager of an iconic brand – or an identity brand striving for iconic status

• should get ready for a rather complicated work agenda. The brand is regarded as a
  medium for cultural expression and the path to icon status requires the ability to
  create radical cultural expressions. Supposed to act as a cultural activist quite far
  from the standard business school type, the brand manager is above all the composer
  of the brand’s myth: ‘As cultural activists, managers treat their brand as a medium –
  no different than a novel or a film – to deliver provocative creative materials that

228 Seven brand approaches

Theory

Methods and data

Assumptions

Managerial implications

Figure 10.8Methods and data of the cultural approach