Branding: The Pillar of Marketing
The Branding Special Interest Group (SIG) of the American Marketing Association (AMA) aims to unite academics with a common scholarly interest in the study of all things branding. Academic research on brands and branding has always been a very mainstream pillar of marketing. Importantly, branding academics can be found across the spectrum of consumer behavior scholars, marketing strategy scholars, and quantitative marketing modeling scholars, as well as across international borders. Therefore, this SIG aims to encompass and engage a fairly wide variety of academics.
This is the first SIG to explicitly focus on brands and branding by providing a community to academic members with common scholarly interests in the domain of branding.
To keep up with the latest updates from the Branding Special Interest Group (SIG), follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and/or Twitter/X. If you want to get involved, you can reach us at brandingsig@gmail.com.
Chair
Mansur Khamitov
Kelley School of Business, Indiana University
mkhamito@iu.edu
Vice Chair of Conference Programming
Maria Rodas
Gies College of Business, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
mrodas@illinois.edu
Vice Chair of Recognition and Awards
Sharon Ng
Nanyang Business School, Nanyang Technological University
angsl@ntu.edu.sg
Vice Chair of Communications and Membership
Jennifer Stoner
Nistler College of Business and Public Administration, University of North Dakota
jennifer.stoner@und.edu
Vice Chair of Finance and Treasury
Sonia Monga
J. Mack Robinson College of Business, Georgia State University
amonga@gsu.edu
Vice Chair of Outreach
Vanitha Swaminathan
Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business, University of Pittsburgh
vanitha@katz.pitt.edu
Doctoral Student Liaison
Megan Trillo
Fuqua School of Business, Duke University
megan.trillo@duke.edu
It’s time to recognize outstanding scholars and research in the branding domain!
American Marketing Association’s Branding Special Interest Group (SIG) is proud to give out THREE inaugural awards this year:
· Best Paper Award for recent, rigorous research with strong branding emphasis and implications.
· Lifetime Contribution Award for someone who has made significant contributions to the field of branding.
· Young Scholar Award for a pre-tenure scholar or a recent PhD graduate who has generated early yet important contributions to branding.
Nominations for all three awards should be emailed to Sharon Ng at [angsl@ntu.edu.sg], Vice Chair of Recognition and Awards. The nominations must be received by 5pm EST on October 15, 2025. Please feel free to contact Sharon Ng via email with any questions.
A committee comprised of members of the Branding SIG Leadership Team (Mansur Khamitov, Maria Rodas, Sharon Ng, Jennifer Stoner, Sonia Monga, Vanitha Swaminathan, Megan Trillo) will determine the winners of each award. The winners will be announced by early December and will receive a plaque at the 2026 AMA Winter Academic Conference (during Branding SIG reception).
Please note: Branding SIG officers will abstain from making nominations for the award. Moreover, if any Branding SIG officer has a presumed conflict of interest, they will abstain from evaluating such nominations.
Additional details regarding all three awards, and how to apply, appear below. We look forward to receiving your nominations!
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AMA Branding SIG Best Paper Award
This award recognizes a scholarly research article that contributes significantly to branding knowledge and practice. The 2025–26 award is based on articles that appeared in a high-quality refereed journal during calendar year 2023 or 2024 (must be published, not accepted). Eligible outlets include, but are not limited to, the Journal of Marketing, Journal of Marketing Research, Journal of Consumer Research, Marketing Science, Management Science, Journal of Consumer Psychology, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, International Journal of Research in Marketing, and Quantitative Marketing and Economics.
The winning article must meet the following criteria:
· Rigorous scholarly research.
· Clear emphasis on branding as the central focus.
· Strong theoretical and/or managerial implications.
Nominations (self-nominations welcome) should include a single PDF document including the article published in 2023 or 2024 and a 1–2 page cover letter from the nominator explaining why the article is a good candidate for the award.
AMA Branding SIG Lifetime Contribution Award
This award honors a scholar who has contributed significantly, meaningfully, and profoundly to the field of branding.
Nominees (self-nominations welcome) must meet the following criteria:
· Faculty in marketing or related fields.
· A significant body of work developing and advancing branding knowledge.
· Articles in leading marketing journals.
· Active engagement with the branding research community throughout one’s career.
Nominations should include a single PDF document including a current curriculum vitae and a 1-2 page cover letter from the nominator explaining why the nominee is a strong candidate for the award.
AMA Branding SIG Young Scholar Award
This award honors a pre-tenure scholar or a recent PhD graduate who demonstrates a bright future in branding research and has generated early yet important contributions to branding.
Nominees (self-nominations welcome) must meet the following criteria:
· Pre-tenure faculty member or a recent PhD graduate in marketing or related fields.
· Demonstrated research productivity in branding (e.g., journal publications, conference presentations).
· Emerging evidence of significant contribution and future potential in branding scholarship (e.g., early impact, citations, awards, recognitions, pipeline).
Nominations should include a single PDF document including a current curriculum vitae and a 1-2 page cover letter from the nominator attesting to the nominee’s research impact, contribution, and potential in branding.