Wellness branding: insights into how American and Finnish consumers use wellness as a means of self-branding
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JPBM-04-2018-1860 |
| Date | 15 July 2019 |
| Pages | 462-474 |
| Published date | 15 July 2019 |
| Author | Miia Grénman,Ulla Hakala,Barbara Mueller |
| Subject Matter | Marketing |
Wellness branding: insights into how American
and Finnish consumers use wellness as a means
of self-branding
Miia Grénman and Ulla Hakala
Department of Marketing and International Business, Turku School of Economics, University of Turku, Turku, Finland, and
Barbara Mueller
School of Journalism and Media Studies, College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts, San Diego State University, San Diego,
California, USA
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to examine wellness as a means of self-branding. The phenomenon is addressed t hrough the introduction of
a new concept –wellness branding –and by identifying those wellness practices that are currently most valued.
Design/methodology/approach –A series of focus group interviews were conducted in the USA and Finland. Altogether, 12 discussion sessions
(N = 57) were carried out, 6 in each country.
Findings –Both wellness and self-branding represent current forms of identity and lifestyle construction and self-promotion. More over, they
represent an entrepreneurial view of the self, which emphasizes self-governance. The findings indicate that wel lness has moved beyond the merely
physical dimension, to significantly involve emotional/mental, spiritual, social and intellectual aspects. This further strengthens the transformational
nature of wellness and the increasing need for balancing one’s life in order to reach one’s optimal self. The logic of wellness branding involves the
creation of one’s optimal, balanced self while communicating it to others.
Research limitations/implications –This paper makes insightful contributions to the branding literature by broadening the scope of self-branding
to a new and timely context. The paper further adds to the consumer research literatu re by addressing wellness as a form of transformative
consumption and an essential part of the current self-care culture.
Originality/value –To the authors’knowledge, this paper is the first to discuss self-branding in the context of wellness, introducing a new concept
of wellness branding, thus offering a novel area for research.
Keywords Consumption, Self-governance, Wellness, Transformation, Lifestyle, Self-branding, Self-care, Authentic self
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Branding is not just for companies anymore; individuals also
increasingly use means of branding to position and promote
themselves. Branding oneself –self-branding –has increased
significantly in popularity and has become a growing
phenomenon (Khamis et al.,2016;Manai and Holmlund,
2015;Pagis and Ailon, 2017).The importance of self-branding
is best illustrated through the evolution in individuals’
professional and social needs and desires.Having a strong self-
brand can be an important asset in today’s individualistic and
increasingly digital world (Gandini, 2016;Hollenbeck and
Kaikati, 2012;Labrecque et al., 2011;Thompson-Whiteside
et al.,2018). Furthermore, a strong self-brand is also often
regarded more of a necessity in a competitive professional
environment, where creating a favorable and compelling self-
image, and differentiating oneself from others, are essential to
success (Brooks and Anumudu, 2016;Gorbatov et al., 2018;
Kucharska and Mikołajczak,2018;Thompson-Whiteside et al.,
2018;Vallas and Cummins,2015).
The responsibility for employment and careers has shifted
from organizations to employees themselves, which has led to
the marketization of the self –the constant need of individuals
to expand their professional networks and engage in self-
branding activities (Gorbatov et al.,2018;Lair et al., 2005;
Thompson-Whiteside et al., 2018). It has been suggested that
self-branding has become the new in-demand skill for all
professionals and a means for self-promotion (Kucharska and
Mikołajczak, 2018). With digitalization and technological
advances, “careers have become personal brands that need to
be managed in a virtual age”(Gorbatov et al., 2018). Back in
the 1990s, Peters (1997) stated that “we are CEOs of our own
companies”, and now two decades later, Arthur et al. (2017)
argue that “you are your own enterprise”. Many scholars have
identified self-brandingas a part of identity creation and a form
of self-governance, which empowers individuals to take on the
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on
Emerald Insight at: www.emeraldinsight.com/1061-0421.htm
Journal of Product & Brand Management
28/4 (2019) 462–474
© Emerald Publishing Limited [ISSN 1061-0421]
[DOI 10.1108/JPBM-04-2018-1860]
Received 18 April 2018
Revised 6 September 2018
23 December 2018
7 January 2019
Accepted 8 January 2019
462
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