Brand Authenticity: A 21-Year Bibliometric Review and Future Outlook

Brand Authenticity plays a crucial role in marketing activities. Over the past two decades, considerable progress has been made in the academic research on Brand Authenticity. However, a more comprehensive investigation on this subject still needs to be done. This paper aims to conduct a literature review using a bibliometric approach to summarize articles published between 2003 and 2023. The aim is to identify the publication trends, key authors, pivotal literature, significant journals, research clusters, intellectual base, and topic trends. We intend to establish a foundation for future agendas by consolidating existing achievements and identifying gaps. We employed two analysis tools, VOSviewer and Bibliometrix, to analyze and visualize 880 selected articles. The result indicates an overall increasing trend in publications; several authoritative scholars have emerged, and international collaborations are extensive. Several knowledge groups have also been formed, focusing on tourism, food and retail, and marketing/management. There need to be more significant breakthroughs, prompting the exploration of new topics to expand the scope of brand authenticity research. Some potential areas of investigation include exploring more antecedents and consequences variables, cross-cultural marketing, specific product authenticity, and the impact of corporate social responsibility on perceived authenticity. By addressing these directions, we can advance the understanding of brand authenticity and enrich the existing knowledge on this topic, thereby contributing to its future development. The concept of brand authenticity holds significant importance within the realm of marketing endeavors. Considerable advancements have been achieved in the scholarly investigation of Brand Authenticity during the preceding two decades. Nevertheless, further research is required to do a more thorough analysis on this topic. This study aims to perform a bibliometric analysis to synthesize the scholarly publications published from 2003 to 2023. This study aims to analyze the publication patterns, prominent authors, influential literature, notable journals, research clusters, intellectual foundations, and topic trends. Our objective is to lay the groundwork for future initiatives by integrating current accomplishments and identifying areas that require attention. Two analysis tools, namely VOSviewer and Bibliometrix, were utilized to conduct an analysis and visualization of a total of 880 selected articles. The findings demonstrate a general upward trajectory in the number of publications, accompanied by the emergence of numerous esteemed researchers and the prevalence of extensive international cooperation. Additionally, many knowledge clusters have been established, explicitly emphasizing tourism, food and retail, marketing and management. There is a requirement for a more significant number of substantial advancements, which would stimulate the investigation of novel subjects to broaden the research domain on brand authenticity. Several possible topics of inquiry can be identified, such as the examination of additional antecedent and consequence variables, the exploration of cross-cultural marketing dynamics, the investigation of specific product authenticity, and the analysis of the influence of corporate social responsibility on the perception of authenticity. Through the examination and implementation of these instructions, it is possible to enhance comprehension of the concept of brand authenticity and augment the current body of knowledge.