Prior research on family business branding has identified a range of benefits related to promoting a firm’s family status, such as increased customer trust and loyalty. Much less attention has been paid to the possible downsides of such a strategy, for example the negative associations the family firm status can create among stakeholders, like perceptions of nepotism or lack of professionalism. The purpose of this editorial is to introduce the reader to the articles featured in this special issue, which is dedicated to furthering our understanding of the facets of family business branding. Only by gaining a more nuanced understanding of the phenomenon will we be able to provide meaningful guidance to the family business community.

先前对家族企业品牌的研究已经确定了与提升公司家族地位相关的一系列好处，例如增加了客户的信任度和忠诚度。人们对这种策略的可能弊端的关注较少，例如家族企业地位可能在利益相关者之间造成负面联系，例如对裙带关系的看法或缺乏专业精神。这篇社论的目的是向读者介绍本期特刊中的文章，这些文章旨在增进我们对家族企业品牌各方面的理解。只有对现象有更细微的了解，我们才能为家族企业提供有意义的指导。