The relationship between brands and consumers

This chapter begins with an overview of the concept of brands. It discusses its evolution and key milestones in the branding literature, analyzing the role of brands both from the companies’ perspective and in the lives of consumers. The chapter focuses on the consumer, not only his new reality, power, needs, and desires but also his demands, especially in his relationship with brands in this new paradigm in which brands are seen as a social process that emerges from the permanent interactions between all stakeholders. In sum, the literature evolved from viewing brand value as determined through value-in-exchange to a new perspective that sees the brand value as a perceived value-in-use by the set of all the stakeholders. Effectively, consumerism or hyperconsumerism, as Lipovetsky and Serroy called it, is probably the most striking feature of current times. In addition to expectations regarding corporate citizenship, there is another main reason for brands’ social concern: political consumerism.