TY - JOUR

T1 - The liminality of branding

T2 - interweaving discourses 'making up' a cultural intermediary occupation

AU - Loacker, Bernadette Isabel

AU - Sullivan, Katie

N1 - The final, definitive version of this article has been published in the Journal, Marketing Theory, 16 (3), 2016, © SAGE Publications Ltd, 2016 by SAGE Publications Ltd at the Marketing Theory page: http://mtq.sagepub.com/ on SAGE Journals Online: http://online.sagepub.com/

PY - 2016/9

Y1 - 2016/9

N2 - This article explores how the occupation of branding and the work it encompasses are discursively constituted and ‘made up’. It starts with the premise that branding is a cultural intermediary occupation about whose norms and practices we cannot assume certainty, stability or homogeneity. The study illustrates how branding is comprised of multiple social and occupational discourses, namely, ‘creativity’, ‘discovery’, ‘business’ and ‘morality’. Rather than stand alone, these discourses dynamically interweave and intersect. Consequently, branding emerges as an occupation with distinct liminal conditions, being simultaneously about art, science, business and social relational work. Instead of moving towards stability, our findings suggest that branding is an intermediary occupation that sustains rather than discontinues liminality and that enduring liminality lends itself to the non-distinctiveness of the occupation. For branders, occupying a liminal occupational position implies various challenges but similarly scopes for flexibility and autonomy.

AB - This article explores how the occupation of branding and the work it encompasses are discursively constituted and ‘made up’. It starts with the premise that branding is a cultural intermediary occupation about whose norms and practices we cannot assume certainty, stability or homogeneity. The study illustrates how branding is comprised of multiple social and occupational discourses, namely, ‘creativity’, ‘discovery’, ‘business’ and ‘morality’. Rather than stand alone, these discourses dynamically interweave and intersect. Consequently, branding emerges as an occupation with distinct liminal conditions, being simultaneously about art, science, business and social relational work. Instead of moving towards stability, our findings suggest that branding is an intermediary occupation that sustains rather than discontinues liminality and that enduring liminality lends itself to the non-distinctiveness of the occupation. For branders, occupying a liminal occupational position implies various challenges but similarly scopes for flexibility and autonomy.

KW - Branding

KW - cultural intermediary occupation

KW - interweaving discourses

KW - liminal conditions

KW - work

U2 - 10.1177/1470593116636661

DO - 10.1177/1470593116636661

M3 - Journal article

VL - 16

SP - 361

EP - 382

JO - Marketing Theory

JF - Marketing Theory

SN - 1470-5931

IS - 3

ER -