We are pleased to announce the publication of our academic essay “Historical Development and Future Perspectives of Brand Management – From Origin Labelling to an Integrative Brandformance Approach”, which appeared in the first issue of 2026 of the journal *transfer – Journal of Communication and Brand Management*. The article was written by Jonas Küpker, Lennert Schleßelmann and Prof. Dr. Christoph Burmann.

The essay examines the development of brand management over the past century and demonstrates how closely it is linked to economic, social and technological changes. It highlights how different approaches and perspectives on brand management have emerged and evolved over time.

Particular focus is placed on current developments in the field of performance marketing, which is currently highly relevant in business practice. However, the article argues that an isolated view of performance falls short. Rather, close integration with identity-based brand management is necessary to ensure sustainable brand success.
Against this backdrop, the authors develop an integrative ‘brandformance’ approach that systematically combines both perspectives, thereby providing a sound foundation for future-oriented brand management.