Corporate Branding in Marketspace

Abstract

Many existing companies have set up corporate websites in response to competitive pressures and/or the perceived advantages of having a presence in marketspace. However, the effect of this form of communication and/or way of doing business on the corporate brand has yet to be examined in detail. In this paper it is argued that the translation of corporate brand values from marketplace to marketspace is often problematic, leading to inconsistencies in the way that the brand values are interpreted. The paper reviews current practice and theory to date on corporate branding in marketspace. Some of the issues discussed are: (1) the effect of changed organizational boundaries on the corporate brand, (2) the need to examine whether it is strategically feasible to translate the corporate brand values from marketplace to marketspace, (3) the inherent di.culty in communicating the emotional aspects of the corporate brand in marketspace, and (4) the need to manage the online brand, in terms of its consistency with the off-line brand. The conclusion reached is that a necessary part of the process of embracing marketspace as part of a corporate brand strategy is a plan to manage the consistency and continuity of the corporate brand when applied to the internet. In cases where this is not achievable, a separate corporate brand or a brand extension is a preferable alternative.