Family business branding from a signaling theory perspective: an integrative framework

Purpose This study aims to review family business branding research, elaborate a new framework integrating family business branding and corporate brand management literature and finally identify future research directions. Design/methodology/approach A bibliometric analysis was conducted to present the main research topics within family business branding. Findings The contributions of this study are threefold. First, this study maps the main themes of family business branding research and highlights its fragmented nature. Second, this study proposes an overarching framework based on signaling theory, attempts to bridge the family business branding and corporate brand management literature and provides a lead for future research. Third, this study stresses the role of brand construct in family business branding. Originality/value This study represents an important step in the identification of a new theoretical framework that best fits the investigation of family business branding.