The Dynamics of Brand Legitimacy: An Interpretive Study in the Gay Men’s Community

Certain brands attain legitimacy (i.e., social fitness) through existing frames and dynamic framing processes described in this article. Drawing on qualitative data collected from gay consumers, this article explores ways brands are cocreated in a non‐brand‐focused community. Collective action frames—shared ways of interpreting meanings within social interaction—provide the connection between a community and its legitimate brands. Informants routinely inscribe some brands with the frames of the gay community and, when applying dynamic framing processes, assess whether other brands share a social fit with the meanings of the gay community. Implications for authenticity and brand legitimacy are discussed.