Employer brand identification: investigating the concept of employer brand identification in the military context

Abstract

This study aims to deepen the understanding of employer brand identification. It also aims to enrich the understanding of the relationship between employer brand personality (as an antecedent of employer brand identification), organizational prestige, brand citizenship behavior, and turnover intention (as possible consequences of employer brand identification) with employer brand identification by developing a conceptual model. This study is based on data collected from 278 full-time military personnel. The respondents were the members of the special forces of the Iranian national army deployed in Tehran. Data collected by a questionnaire and the hypothesized relationships are analyzed using the partial least squares approach. The results show that the employer brand personality positively and significantly impacts employer brand identification. Also, there was a positive and significant relationship between employer brand identification and organizational prestige and brand citizenship behavior. Employer brand identification also negatively impacts employee turnover intention. This study empirically validates that employer brand identification is an influential factor for organizational prestige, brand citizenship behavior, and turnover intention. Therefore, managers should provide sufficient attention to employer brand identification to obtain these consequences.