Skip to Main Content
HBS Home
  • About
  • Academic Programs
  • Alumni
  • Faculty & Research
  • Baker Library
  • Giving
  • Harvard Business Review
  • Initiatives
  • News
  • Recruit
  • Map / Directions
Faculty & Research
  • Faculty
  • Research
  • Featured Topics
  • Academic Units
  • …→
  • Harvard Business School→
  • Faculty & Research→
Publications
Publications
  • 2010
  • Article
  • Research in Consumer Behavior

The Strategic Use of Brand Biographies

By: Jill Avery, Neeru Paharia, Anat Keinan and Juliet Schor
  • Format:Print
ShareBar

Abstract

We introduce the concept of a brand biography to describe an emerging trend in branding in which firms author a dynamic, historical account of the events that have shaped the brand over time. Using a particular type of brand biography, "the underdog," we empirically show how managers can strategically use brand biographies in brand positioning, in this case to mitigate the curse of success. As brands grow and become successful, they are often marked by the negative stigma associated with size and power, which elicits anticorporate sentiment from consumers. An underdog brand biography can be strategically wielded to prevent or offset anticorporate backlash stemming from consumers' negative perceptions of firms' size and/or market power.

Keywords

Marketing; Brands; Brand Management; Brand Building; Brand Positioning; Competitive Positioning; Marketing Strategy; Brands and Branding; Managerial Roles; Strategy; Product Positioning; Consumer Behavior; Biography; Success; Perception; Markets; Power and Influence; Consumer Products Industry; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Auto Industry; Fashion Industry; Food and Beverage Industry

Citation

Avery, Jill, Neeru Paharia, Anat Keinan, and Juliet Schor. "The Strategic Use of Brand Biographies." Research in Consumer Behavior 12 (2010): 213–230.
  • Find it at Harvard
  • Purchase

About The Author

Jill J. Avery

Marketing
→More Publications

More from the Authors

    • March–April 2023
    • Harvard Business Review

    Case Study: Should a Dollar Store Raise Prices to Keep Up with Inflation?

    By: Jill Avery and Marco Bertini
    • June 2022 (Revised August 2022)
    • Faculty Research

    Dollar Tree: Breaking the Buck

    By: Jill Avery and Marco Bertini
    • April 2022
    • Faculty Research

    Christie's and Leonardo da Vinci's Salvator Mundi: The Value of a Brand

    By: Jill Avery
More from the Authors
  • Case Study: Should a Dollar Store Raise Prices to Keep Up with Inflation? By: Jill Avery and Marco Bertini
  • Dollar Tree: Breaking the Buck By: Jill Avery and Marco Bertini
  • Christie's and Leonardo da Vinci's Salvator Mundi: The Value of a Brand By: Jill Avery
ǁ
Campus Map
Harvard Business School
Soldiers Field
Boston, MA 02163
→Map & Directions
→More Contact Information
  • Make a Gift
  • Site Map
  • Jobs
  • Harvard University
  • Trademarks
  • Policies
  • Accessibility
  • Digital Accessibility
Copyright © President & Fellows of Harvard College