Brand as Promise

Abstract Brands are widely regarded as a constellation of shared associations surrounding company and its offerings. On the traditional view brands, these perceptions attitudes in consumers’ minds relation to company. We argue that this framing brands faces an explanatory problem: inability satisfactorily explain why certain branding activism initiatives elicit moralized reactive paradigmatic responses wrongdoing. In paper, we for reframing calls viewing series normatively binding expectations ethically akin promises. Our promissory avoids problem, illuminates number ethical requirements on branding, reconceptualizes role brand managers.