Abstract
In this article, the authors examine the role of person brands in shaping emergent markets. Using ethnographic and archival data from the early online news market, they find that person brands use their social, cultural, and symbolic capital to create a unique organizational identity, establish a founding myth, and mobilize resonance with early followers. These organizational assets are carried forward in the emergent market to build cultural-cognitive, normative, and pragmatic legitimacy in a context where these factors are yet to be established. While prior research in marketing has investigated the market-driving effects of firms, consumers, and intermediaries, the findings yield insight into the role of specific people—person brands as institutional entrepreneurs—in driving emergent markets. These findings inform managers and other stakeholders in emergent markets as to how to strategically manage the organizational identity, founding myths, and audience resonance built by person brands in order to carry these assets forward as the market further develops.
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