Name-Familiness, Narcissistic Communication and Cognitive Legitimacy

Family firm branding, specifically name choice, can be critical for firm performance. Research on this topic has provided mixed results. Drawing upon cultural entrepreneurship theory and integrating a microfoundational perspective, we theorize and empirically test the effect of name-familiness on firm performance through the influential mechanisms of cognitive legitimacy and narcissistic communication. We find support for the negative relationship between name-familiness and firm performance through the mediating role of cognitive legitimacy. This negative effect is further amplified by the level of narcissistic communication of the firm.