Starting from the persuasive potential of branding, the paper presents the beginning and development of an argumentative paradigm within the system of highbrow culture. A scientific preoccupation with branding first took place within the economic sciences, then attracted attention in the social sciences, and finally diffused into the non-commercial cultural sphere within the framework of a general expansion of the ‘brand zone’ to include non-economic offerings. The article deals with the potentials, but also the limitations of cultural branding.