Based on an analysis of brands with intense ethnic digital self-presentation, this qualitative study introduces a notion of brand identity work. Four contributions are made: theorising brand identity work as a process of identity construction that involves brand building and brand presentation; unpacking tensions between brand building and brand presentation specific to ethnic marketing; suggesting a dynamic view of authenticity, and uncovering presentation strategies that address these conflicts. We find that behind the tensions between brand-building and brand presentation stands brands’ concern about authenticity. Depending on the type of authenticity tensions, brands decide whether to include celebrities in their presentation.
