The evolution of branding in Web3: Towards headless brands?

Abstract

Headless brands challenge the idea that a brand is centralised and our assumptions about what a brand is and how it works. Headless brands refer to community-driven brand dynamics, without a centralised managerial body. This paper shows the rise of headless brands, how the idea of branding evolved, as well as the challenges they face. To do this, it illustrates the wider context of evolving brandconsumer relationships and explores how fandom, communities, cryptocurrencies and decentralisation are transforming the very nature of what a brand can be. It concludes by discussing how brands can take advantage of these trends to remain future fit.