Corporate Strategy and Corporate Branding: Reference Frame and Examples of Integrated Corporate Strategic & Brand Management (CS&BM)

Abstract

Strategy and brand are central constructs in the field of business management research and practice. But while strategic management has been in place for a long time, the holistic view on brand management has only stirred up some discussion in recent years. In this context, special attention is paid to the corporate brand, as this kind of brand has gained more significance in real life. In the process of corporate branding, it is crucially important that corporate strategy and brand strategy fall in line, as the brand is in this respect not a tool operated by the marketers but instead should be absorbed entirely within the identity of the corporation. So far, both constructs, i.e., strategy and brand, have been largely regarded as separate fields (and the latter even less been made a subject of an enterprise’s business architecture), which entails varying views of how corporate strategy and corporate brand mutually affect each other, eventually leading to the question: which is dominated by which? This article is aimed at establishing a core frame of reference of integrated “Corporate Strategic & Brand Management” (CS&BM) and gives explanations by demonstrating specific design perspectives. In line with architectural thinking, particular attention is paid to the interaction of corporate and brand identity, the strategic positioning as well as how to manage positioning at the brand touch points.