Mapping the sustainability branding field: emerging trends and future directions
Journal of Product & Brand Management
ISSN: 1061-0421
Article publication date: 29 January 2024
Issue publication date: 27 February 2024
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to offer the intellectual structure and dynamics of the sustainability branding field, involving the identification of influential authors and journals, current and emerging themes, theories, methods, contexts and future research directions.
Design/methodology/approach
The study conducted a bibliometric approach of 1,509 articles retrieved from Scopus to analyze the evolution of the knowledge of sustainability branding and suggest future research. The analysis used various methods such as performance analysis, keyword analysis, cluster analysis and bibliographic coupling.
Findings
The topics of corporate image, philanthropy and stakeholder pressures were core in the foundation phase. Then rose the topics of sustainable development goals and global supply chains. Green marketing and the new paradigms of circularity, ethical consumerism and hyperconnected societies emerged more recently. Six thematic clusters represent the field’s knowledge structure: (1) corporate branding and reputation, (2) sustainable business development, (3) sustainable branding and ethical consumption, (4) corporate social responsibility, (5) brand equity and green marketing and (6) sustainability branding in hospitality and tourism.
Practical implications
This paper provides readers with an overview of sustainability branding core themes, key contributions and challenges, which can be used as a toolkit for brand management studies and practice.
Originality/value
The study’s uniqueness lies in bibliometric analysis (combined with network analysis and science mapping techniques) of the sustainability branding field from the identification and evolution of the thematic clusters to propose future research directions.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank to all the effort of reviewers and editors by giving suggestions to improve this paper.
This research was funded by a PhD merit scholarship, granted to Jorge Nascimento, by the Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL), Business Research Unit (BRU-IUL), Lisboa, Portugal.
Citation
Nascimento, J. and Loureiro, S.M.C. (2024), "Mapping the sustainability branding field: emerging trends and future directions", Journal of Product & Brand Management, Vol. 33 No. 2, pp. 234-257. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPBM-02-2023-4349
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited