Using the law to protect the brand on social media sites : A three “M”s framework for marketing managers

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the legal concepts and theories that are useful in protecting a brand from harmful and unauthorized social media use by third parties. Design/methodology/approach – Qualitative research of articles, news stories, court decisions and statutes was conducted. Various legal concerns and theories were developed from this information. Findings – The various legal theories were organized into a three‐category framework: Monitoring; 'Mposters; and Message. Practical implications – This framework should be useful to brand managers to protect their brand against unauthorized use, imitation or unfavourable affiliations in social media. Originality/value – This work is the first to develop a managerial framework of legal issues to address unauthorized and unfavourable use of a brand identity in social media.