MEANING IN CONTEXT: INTERPRETING BRAND COMMUNICATION THROUGH CULTURAL FRAMES AND GENERATIONAL IDENTITY

Abstract

This integrative literature review examines how cultural and generational contexts shape the interpretation of brand communication. Drawing on research from marketing, consumer research, psychology, and cultural studies, the paper offers a holistic and theory-driven synthesis of how brand meanings are constructed and understood across diverse audiences. Rather than treating culture and generation as isolated or static variables, the review conceptualises them as interpretive lenses through which consumers make sense of brand messages. The analysis reveals that brand meaning emerges through a layered process of interpretation, in which broad cultural frames provide foundational structures of understanding. At the same time, generational identities shape how messages are selectively interpreted, negotiated, and emotionally resonated with. These layers interact dynamically with communication forms and contexts, producing variation in meaning even when brand messages remain constant. The review further explores the limitations of simplified generational segmentation approaches, demonstrating how they often obscure intra-generational diversity and cross-cultural variation in meaning-making. By integrating fragmented research streams, this study makes an original contribution by reframing brand communication as a contextual and interpretive process rather than a linear transmission of meaning. This review advances a multi-level perspective that connects cultural framing, generational identity, and consumer interpretation. It also offers guidance for scholars and practitioners seeking to design brand communications that are culturally sensitive and generationally meaningful, emphasising the importance of contextual awareness over standardised messaging in global, multi-cultural and multi-generational markets.