Popular Entrepreneurship: A Marketing and Social Evaluation View on Evaluation Regimes

Entrepreneurial archetypes, such as the hero or lone wolf, are being replaced by metaphorical images like gazelles or unicorns, accompanied by a spread of evaluation regimes that highlight selected types of firms. By receiving awards and being listed, so-called ‘hidden champions’—successful family-owned firms surrounded by a mystical aura of the unknown—attract public attention. Given the limited ability of outsiders to gain insight into firms’ image building activities, it is imperative to communicate compelling narratives. How do evaluation regimes, narratives, and media contribute to image creation? The acclaim that firms receive from being awarded, ranked, or listed is meaningful, as it alters the perception of whatever gains attention. Putting evaluation regimes center offers a new lens for theorizing on popularization within the field of entrepreneurship. Drawing on marketing and social evaluation research, this article delves into the theory of transformations of the popular.