Guest editorial

The proliferation of digital media, together with increasingly mobile Internet connectivity, has arguably been the most significant influence on brands and brand management in the first two decades of this millennium. A simple, age-old definition of a brand is that it is a distinguishable symbol or word, which represents a product or organisation; but, the recent most recognisable brandsinclude people (e.g. Lady Gaga), places (e.g. Paris), services (e.g. Deliveroo), events (e.g. the Olympics) and even ideas or memes (i.e. cultural variants of genes) (e.g. #MeToo). Branding cuts across industries and sectors too and is not restricted to the commercial domain – the growth of non-profit and public sector brands being a case in point. Irrespective of the type of brand however, brand management at present is complex and highly competitive, which requires a broad range of skills and perspectives. Hence, this is an important and exciting time to reflect on recent developments, as well as look ahead to the future of branding in the face of pervasive digitalisation.