The Role of Brands in an Era of Over-Information

Book excerpt: Led by social networks and user-generated content, the number of posts available in the market is impossible to be rationally processed by customers. The micro-segmentation goes along with this trend, and there are multiple categories of the same core product available for the consumers in the market. What is the role of the brands in this context? In a way, they serve as a mental shortcut that consumers use to help “rationalize” decisions that would be impossible to make by analyzing all the options available. Brands also try to find more distinctive signals to stand out and differentiate from others. Signals like more green, ecologic, or inclusive brands are now part of the claims of the brands. Do they really help consumers to make better decisions? Or are they ignored by the customers as they become the rule instead of the exception? The Role of Brands in an Era of Over-Information provides knowledge to better understand the digital branding process and its implications in choosing products, services, or organizations. The book also contributes to the development and consolidation of recent concepts linked with branding and over-information, providing practical cases where these concepts show their relevance. Covering key topics such as marketing, new media, sustainability, and internet branding, this premier reference source is ideal for marketers, influencers, business owners, policymakers, managers, industry professionals, researchers, academicians, scholars, practitioners, instructors, and students.