The moral states we seek: conscientious corporate branding for the perplexed

PurposeMost research on branding highlights the role of associations for a single brand. Many firms, however, have multiple brands and/or different versions of one brand. The latter is largely the case for many corporate brands. This paper aims to broaden the understanding of corporate brand associations and their transfer within the firm’s brand and product portfolio. In particular, this paper also examines the concept of corporate brand innovativeness and the influence of brand architecture as supportive and restrictive boundary conditions for its transfer.Design/methodology/approachThis conceptual paper explains the nature, benefits and challenges of corporate brand innovativeness within the context of a firm’s brand architecture. On the basis of a literature review, the authors provide an overview of the domain and derive avenues for future research.FindingsResearch and practice have not fully realised the importance of corporate brand images for supporting a firms’ product portfolio. In particular, (corporate) marketing managers need to consider the potential value of favourable perceptions of corporate brand innovativeness across products and the moderating role of brand architecture.Research limitations/implicationsMore empirical research is needed to understand the reciprocal relationship and transfer between corporate and product brand associations and equity.Practical implicationsA corporate marketing perspective allows firms to use corporate brand associations to support products and services for that brand. This paper discusses perceived corporate brand innovativeness as one particularly important corporate brand association.Originality/valueThe authors discuss the use of corporate brand associations under the consideration of brand architectures and boundaries and draw on several research streams in the brand management literature. Much of the branding and innovation literature centres on the product level; research on corporate brand innovativeness has been relatively neglected.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to propose an integrated conceptual framework showing how corporate brand equity is generated. It builds upon a number of previous studies which have focused upon specific aspects of brand equity and integrates these within a more comprehensive model.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is based upon a review and integration of the corporate branding, consumer psychology and strategy literatures.FindingsThe result is the construction of a number of sub‐models and an overall proposed framework which integrates internal and external determinants of consumer‐based corporate brand equity and combines these within a comprehensive framework. The model encompasses internal, company‐determined, variables, a Stimulus‐Organism‐Response model, the stakeholder cognitive perception process, a number of mediating variables such as corporate performance, industry sector and internationality, and the resulting impact upon corporate reputation and brand equity.Research limitations/implicationsFrom this conceptual paper, further work can be developed for empirical validation.Practical implicationsThe paper sets out to integrate academic and practitioner work and both internal (company) dimensions with external (consumer/stakeholder) dimensions.Originality/valueThe originality of the work is that it is both comprehensive and it puts forward an integrative model which goes beyond previous work which has focused upon specific aspects of corporate brand value. It also analyses the links between the different constructs and the directions of causality and influence.

PurposeThis paper aims to present the concept of Interactive Network Branding (INB) in business markets. The INB conceptualization offers an understanding of corporate branding processes as an inherent part of business networking. More specifically, the paper focuses on the importance of INB for firms that are developing their roles and positions in business networks.Design/methodology/approachThe conceptual paper reviews the extant literature on corporate branding in conjunction with business network research. This perspective adds to the current knowledge of business marketing by proposing a theoretical framework of INB.FindingsThe conceptualization of INB offers a specific network lens on corporate branding by presenting three INB dimensions. The first dimension deals with corporate identity; the second dimension deals with corporate reputation; the third, mutual INB dimension, presents an “interactive space” where branding and networking collide. These three dimensions are enacted by individuals acting on behalf of their companies, as key implementers of INB processes. Through the INB, strategic roles and positions of firms embedded in their business networks are formed.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper contributes to current literature on business network research that has left a corporate brand perspective almost unnoticed. The INB concept also offers an extension to current literature on corporate branding, which has to date neglected business relationships and networking issues. Being strongly conceptual, the paper notes that empirical research is needed for observing the role of INB in real-life business encounters.Practical implicationsThis study provides novel ideas and implications for firm representatives responsible for branding and relationship development in business networks. It denotes the critical role of individuals and their interactions with other individuals, which influences the development of specific network roles and positions for connected business entities.Originality/valueThe used multidisciplinary approach provides a conceptual platform to study branding processes in business networks. By offering a network perspective to corporate branding, new and relevant implications for both theory and practice are fore fronted.

Corporate brand identity co-creation in business-to-business contexts

PurposeThis paper aims to explore three central tensions in the debate on corporate branding. Is a normative or a social constructionist approach more appropriate in conceptualising and managing corporate brands? Should the focus be on the organizational or the individual level? Must organizations take a static (focusing on continuity) or a more dynamic (focusing on change) perspective on corporate branding?Design/methodology/approachThis is a conceptual paper based on a critical review of relevant literature and the papers included in this special issue.FindingsAvenues for future research in corporate branding are highlighted.Originality/valueSeveral issues fundamental to the corporate branding debate remain controversial. This paper sheds light on three key tensions in managing corporate brands and shapes the research agenda for future studies.

The purpose of this conceptual paper is to ascertain the relationship between corporate storytellingfor branding and internal stakeholders’ perceptions of the corporate brand. The paucity of existingknowledge found in reviewing a variety of literature sources relating to corporate brand storytellingspurred the authors into carry out the research. The link between themes and elements of corporatestories for branding and strategies for impression management indicates that these elementsrelate to audiences’ perceptions of the corporate brand. From the literature review, there is a linkbetween elements of corporate stories for branding (such as corporate personalities, corporateactivities, corporate values, and corporate associations) and internal stakeholders’ perceptionsand emotional attachment to a corporate brand. Corporate management needs to actively involveinternal stakeholders in developing corporate stories for branding as this is crucial in creatingpositive corporate brand perceptions. The study contributes to the body of knowledge by allowinglisted corporates to maximise the effectiveness of their corporate stories for branding in shapingthe internal stakeholders’ corporate brand perceptions. The paper suggests a conceptual modelfor depicting the relationship between corporate storytelling for branding and internal stakeholders’corporate brand perceptions.

Corporate brand strategy formation: Brand actors and the situational context for a business-to-business brand

Two models of corporate brand or reputation management include “leadership and success” as a dimension that influences reactions of multiple stakeholders to organisations. Primary groups of stakeholders such as shareholders/investors, employees, and customers, often associate leadership of organisations with Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) or managing directors. This paper proposes that if CEOs are to be capitalised as part of corporate brand management, their leadership should be projected clearly to stakeholders to influence stakeholder attitudes. Although some studies tend to focus on linking leadership brands and transformational leadership to employees’ commitment, little is known what type(s) of leadership is (are) attractive to multiple stakeholders. Both, leadership brands and transformational leadership, can be presented as leadership archetypes, that is, personifications of abstract leadership qualities summing up leaders’ traits and behaviours in situational contexts. Using the Competing Values Framework (CVF) for leadership, the researchers reviewed publications of CEO leadership in situational contexts and classified the CEO leadership roles based on the respective scholars’ conceptual definitions. The classification revealed that CEOs were perceived as playing multiple leadership roles, which are manifested into leadership archetypes. The archetypes were derived from respondents’ perceptions and had different labels subject to the situational contexts. Some of the archetypes reflect CEO functional roles, whilst others were metaphoric. A few leadership archetypes were common across academic literature, whilst others were not. These archetypes offer explicit representations of “leadership” dimension of the CBM models and can assist image generators to gauge which leadership archetypes are excellent or appealing to multiple stakeholders.

How to build a conscientious corporate brand together with business partners: A case study of Unilever

PurposeCorporate brands increasingly use influential, high reach human brands (e.g. influencers, celebrities), who have strong parasocial relationships with their followers and audiences, to promote their offerings. However, despite emerging understanding of the benefits arising from human brand-based campaigns, knowledge about their potentially negative effects on the corporate brand remains limited. Addressing this gap, this paper deepens insight into the potential risk human brands pose to corporate brands.Design/methodology/approachTo explore these issues, this conceptual paper reviews and integrates literature on consumer brand engagement, human brands, brand hijacking and parasocial relationships.FindingsThough consumers' favorable human brand associations can be used to improve corporate brand outcomes, they rely on consumers' relationship with the endorsing human brand. Given the dependency of these brands, human brand-based marketing bears the risk that the human brand (vs the firm) “owns” the consumer's corporate brand relationship, which the authors coin relationship hijacking. This phenomenon can severely impair consumers' engagement and relationship with the corporate brand.Originality/valueThis paper sheds light on the role of human brands in strategic brand management. Though prior research has highlighted the positive outcomes accruing to the use of human brands, the authors identify its potential dark sides, thus exposing pivotal insight.

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to examine the relationship between corporate branding and market driving. This is achieved by focusing on key dimensions of brand identity such as brand values and staff behaviours, while acknowledging the role of vision and organisational culture. The links between these brand constituents and the actual activities of the firm in a market are explored through interactions with stakeholders.Design/methodology/approachThis research is based on an in‐depth case study of IKEA at a corporate level and its local market activities in Russia. The single‐case approach is used to generate insights into how corporate branding is related to market driving practices and to identify the mechanisms of market driving in the Russian market.FindingsThe corporate brand provides a further source of the “leap” in customer value recognised as a requirement for a market driving approach. Through a case study of IKEA in Russia it is shown that the core values of the brand guide both the behaviour and activities of internal stakeholders and the relationships with external stakeholders, and the interactions between the corporate “global” brand values and local market level activities are explored.Originality/valueThe paper provides insights on the role of a corporate brand as a driving force of market driving from a broad stakeholder perspective.

This conceptual paper looks at ‘brand identification’. It does this by providing an overview of social-identity theory as it illuminates marketing theories in customer relationships. We build on recent interest in the marketing literature in identity and develop a conceptual model of consumer brand identification in business relationships. Corporate identity has often been the entity that can be created/manipulated in design and marketing. Seen through the lens of organizational behaviour scholars this is perceived as organizational identity and in turn this is more focused on employee perceptions and responses. Brand identification links these two as it stresses the process by which individuals (customers and employees) may identify with the organization as a corporate brand. We offer this as providing theoretical foundations for a perspective integrating corporate branding, identity and communications. This is a timely contribution to issues of identity in marketing theory and practice.KeywordsConsumer ResearchOrganizational IdentificationOrganizational IdentityBrand LoyaltySocial Identity TheoryThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

Purpose – Global competition has increased a manufacturer focus on relationships and optimization of internal processes within channels of distribution. One of the central themes of channel relationships and an important theoretical proposition in corporate branding has been achievement of alignment between corporate and stakeholder perspectives. Using three corporate brands, this study seeks to use a configurational theoretic approach to investigate how deviation of salespeople from the corporate perspective is related to their satisfaction and commitment.

This chapter highlights the relationships between corporate brand signature, image, and reputation and how a company could improve the perception of internal and external stakeholders' through the corporate brand signature. Many organisations are becoming concerned about their corporate brand design because of changes in the competitive environment and the need to differentiate themselves in various ways to create distinctive images among diverse stakeholder groups. The corporate brand design is a key factor to encourage the companies to communicate with consumers and their stakeholders. Corporate brand design can inspire a positive reaction and lead to organisations receiving a more favourable evaluation. It is suggested in the literature that the corporate brand design prompts awareness and recognition of the company in the minds of consumers. A corporate brand design can add value for stakeholders and must serve as a signature of the company, by clearly connecting the corporate brand design to the organisation it represents.

Knowledge transfer is recognized as a crucial activity for project teams to work effectively. However, limited attention has been directed towards examining the role of knowledge transfer in information systems development projects (ISD). In this study we empirically examine the impact of source context, knowledge context, relation context, and situational context on the process of knowledge transfer among ISD face-to-face team members. Specifically, we test the impact of ISD team member's cultural proclivity, capability, credibility, extent of communication, and group cohesion on the process of knowledge transfer. Our findings suggest that in face-to-face ISD teams, a collectivist individual who has a high task related capability, who is perceived as highly credible, and who frequently communicates with his/her team members is able to transfer significant amount of knowledge. Although, group cohesion did not influence knowledge transfer, our results indicate that a communicative individual from a more cohesive group is able to transfer more knowledge.