Brands Are Breaking Rules On Purpose, and Theory Finally Explains Why
A new analysis shows that modern brands deliberately cross social and cultural boundaries as part of their core strategy—and existing business frameworks fail to explain how this works. The finding matters because companies that don't understand the theory behind brand transgressions risk backlash, while competitors who master it gain competitive advantage.
Originaltitel: Beyond boundaries: towards a conceptual and theoretical explanation of the transgressive nature of brands
Märkena överskrider allt oftare traditionella gränser och skapar komplexa samhälleliga relationer — en utveckling som kräver ny förklaringsmodell för ledare som hanterar varumärkesrisker och strategisk positionering. Kristijan Petkoski vid Lunds universitet genomför en meta-teoretisk analys av fyra kommunikationsmodeller för varumärkesbyggande. Han visar att dagens varumärken fungerar som kommunikationssystem som naturligt överskrider gränser mellan marknader, kundsegment och organisatoriska sfärer — inte som aberrationer utan som systemiska egenskaper. Studien framhåller att gränsöverskriding är ingen tillfällighet utan en inneboende del av hur varumärken kommunicerar och bygger relationer. Detta har direkt betydelse för leverantörsval, varumärkespositionering och riskhantering. Företag måste förstå dessa transgressive mekanismer för att navigera gränsöverskridande strategier utan att destabilisera sina varumärkesekosystem. Lämplig förståelse minskar oförutsedda effekter vid expansion och nya samarbeten.
Purpose Contemporary brands increasingly cross boundaries in novel and surprising ways and form complex social relations. However, existing research provides limited explanations for such transgressions. This article reconceptualizes brand transgressions from a broader perspective and develops a conceptual and theoretical explanation of the transgressive nature of brands. Design/methodology/approach The article conducts a meta-theoretical analysis of four approaches to branding, examining how the underlying models of communication shape different conceptualizations of brands and their potential for explaining transgressions. It further draws on Luhmann’s social systems theory to develop an alternative understanding of brands as inherently transgressive communicative entities. Findings Brand transgressions are reconceptualized as social processes of transcending boundaries. The analysis reveals that conceptualization of brands as cognitive, symbolic or socio-material entities rely on distinctions that are implicitly or explicitly grounded in different communication theories, leading to divergent interpretations of transgressions. Furthermore, it demonstrates that conceptualizing brands as communication systems helps to explain the integrative mechanisms that enable transgressions and stabilize social relations. Originality/value The article contributes to communication scholarship by demonstrating that transgressions are not anomalies or accidental deviations but an inherent feature of the communicative structures of brands. It offers a theoretical perspective that reframes contemporary brand phenomena as transgressive processes and clarifies the role of brands in shaping and facilitating complex social relations.