Abstract

This paper presents a research methodology for the study of brand authenticity. Brand authenticity is seen as a process of self-authentication which unfolds along a coherent "continuum" of meanings and associations; it subsists in the interaction with the consumer and above all in the consumer's recognition of this continuum. Authenticity takes shape from the confrontation between the being of the brand and that of the consumer; this confrontation is examined by employing a methodology which combines netnography and text-mining applied to conversations on brand produced by online communities. The methodology we propose can constitute a valid tool to orient businesses in their dialectical processes between brand and market and to boost marketing strategies. It is tested on Campari which is an emblematic brand for the question under investigation.