From Way Out West to Veg Out West - A study on changes to a key brand property and brand meaning negotiation on social media

Abstract: Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the brand meaning negotiation process on social media, using the case of the Way out West brand that changed a key brand property in 2012. We aim to uncover dynamics and reasons for why and how the brand’s meaning has been negotiated, and the influence social media has had by expanding on previous research, most notably Giesler ( 2012 ) research findings on brand meaning negotiation. Design/Methodology/Approach: Since the purpose was to investigate brand meaning negotiation on social media, netnography was utilised to investigate the public space debate in order to gather material, which was then interpreted through a hermeneutic interpretive research approach. Findings: Consumers displayed a strong reaction on social media both for and against the festival’s decision to change a key brand property, and that the negative crowd quickly disappeared from the conversation. A second finding was that identity creation seemed to be the main motivator behind the actions of consumers. Originality/Value: This article adds to the existing literature on brand meaning negotiation by illustrating the dynamics in the context of social media, while showing how consumers utilise the process for their identity creation.