The Social Cognition of Brand Communication
Abstract
Consumers play an essential role in creating brand awareness and meaning through communication. In this chapter, we review studies on how people communicate about brands and present a model that explains the psychological mechanisms influencing brand awareness and the formation of meaning. This model outlines the steps involved in developing brand awareness through social sharing, shaping brand meaning through associative learning and storytelling, and reinforcing that meaning through social validation. The reviewed research demonstrates how social psychological processes contribute to developing a shared understanding of brands.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Consumer Behavior in Brand Consumption and Identification
Digital Marketing and Social Media
Marketing and Advertising Strategies
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Routledge eBooks
- Pages
- 388–397
- Publication date
- 3 February 2026
- Language
- EN
- Document type
- Book chapter