Abstract Conscientious corporate brands are guided by ethical principles and a commitment to stakeholder co-creation. This study investigates employees’ alignment with conscientious brand promises and explores participatory mechanisms that facilitate their co-creation. Specifically, it addresses the research questions: 1) What factors influence employees’ alignment with conscientious brand promises? And 2) Through what participatory mechanisms do managers and employees co-create conscientious brand promises? A case study, combined with a service design-inspired participatory action research approach, is conducted in an elderly care unit of a non-governmental healthcare organization that explicitly incorporates conscientiousness in its brand promises. Qualitative data were collected from 13 workshops and in-depth interviews with 27 managers and employees. The findings reveal three factors influencing employees’ alignment with conscientious brand promises: (1) clarity of promises, (2) time to uphold promises and (3) employee agency in promise co-creation. Additionally, three participatory mechanisms supporting co-creation are identified: (1) collaborative reflections, (2) resource inventory, (3) and artifact creation. The study advances research on conscientious brand promises, internal branding, and promise management by demonstrating how organizations may adopt a promissory lens to enhance employee–brand alignment and brand promise co-creation. Furthermore, it offers a contextual contribution by analyzing a healthcare brand through the perspective of brand conscientiousness.

Abstract A brand’s identity, which is made up of brand elements like logos, colours, and taglines, helps consumers to recognise the brand. Marketers are responsible for building a strong, unique brand identity over time: deciding which brand elements to use and where, with some brand elements better able to cue the brand for consumers at a given point in time (reflecting past investments). These decisions are often made using intuitive judgements based on marketers’ own brand knowledge and experience to prioritise or retire certain brand elements. This research explores whether these judgements are an adequate substitute for consumer knowledge, which marketers are looking to affect. We compare marketers’ intuitive judgements with consumers’ brand associations measured on two dimensions (fame and uniqueness) for 405 brand elements used by 50 brands in five categories, considering multiple conditions. Results show marketers’ judgements are rarely accurate, typically overestimating fame and underestimating uniqueness of consumers’ associations with brand elements, though stronger brand elements are more accurately judged. The results recommend that brand managers should rely on consumer research to manage their brand’s identity or, where this is not possible, make judgements with a group of their colleagues.

Abstract Corporate brands are increasingly willing or expected to demonstrate a moral stance, but existing frameworks often simplify moral agency, failing to capture its complexity. Consequently, corporate brands struggle to engage morality in a way that resonates with diverse stakeholder perspectives. How can moral development inform the orchestration of conscientious corporate brands? This conceptual paper aims to make sense of conscientious corporate branding as the project of becoming worthy of moral consideration. It introduces a maturity model, illustrating how corporate brands may evolve conscience as an emergent axis throughout different layers by emphasizing the importance of relational dynamics and situational contexts. This approach enriches theoretical discourse on conscientious corporate branding and provides actionable insights for brand managers seeking to enhance moral identity formation. Ultimately, this paper advocates for a shift toward an assemblage view of conscientious corporate branding, empowering corporate brands to become collective agents in an ever-evolving moral landscape.

Abstract The Conscientious corporate brand (CCB) is a nascent concept whose importance has grown in recent years due to stakeholder demands for organisations to address environmental and social changes as well as to display ethical behaviour in business dealings. Amidst calls for the identification and validation of the antecedents and mediators of CCBs, the purpose of this paper is to establish the role organisational purpose, ethical organisational culture, CSR and brand authenticity plays in shaping stakeholder perceptions of a CCB. Two studies were conducted, using samples obtained from Prolific. In study 1, the results show that organisational purpose is a powerful concept that positively influences the perception of a strong CCB by stakeholders, and that organisational culture moderates the relationship between organisational purpose and brand authenticity. In study 2, our results show that brand authenticity mediates the link between organisational purpose and stakeholder perceptions of a CCB and our findings also suggest that corporate brands with a strong organisational purpose are more likely to be perceived by stakeholders to be a CCB. The theoretical and managerial implications of these findings are discussed, and recommendations for future research are suggested.

Abstract This study explores the dynamic interplay between conventional and conscientious brands within the context of sustainability transformation in brand portfolios. We examine three conscientious brands within a leading consumer goods company using a case study approach. Drawing on the metaphor of Yin and Yang, our findings reveal that conventional brands, with their established market presence and substantial revenue generation, provide the financial stability necessary for the growth of conscientious brands. Conversely, conscientious brands, although currently smaller in market share and profitability, pioneer sustainable practices and inspire innovation within the portfolio. We identify key driving forces, such as increasing consumer demand for sustainable products, competitive pressures, and regulatory requirements, alongside internal factors like top management commitment and employees’ intrinsic motivation. However, several restricting forces, including consumer scepticism, higher costs of sustainable materials, and internal resistance, pose significant challenges. The concept of “lighthouse brands” emerges as pivotal, acting as trailblazers for sustainable practices and enhancing the overall sustainability image of the organisation. These brands test new technologies and gather valuable consumer feedback, which informs broader portfolio strategies.

Abstract The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities has extended into creative realms, presenting opportunities for creative collaboration between human brand professionals and AI in support of brand voice efforts. However, there remains little clarity regarding the implementation of this creative interaction. With a conceptual approach, the current research proposes a three-level framework of human–AI co-creation for creative brand voice that highlights key factors that can facilitate brand efficiency and effectiveness at the individual (AI task roles, co-creation teaming, knowledge and skills), organisational (infrastructure and brand voice database, socialisation), and societal (responsibility and accountability, AI transparency, brand voice copyright) levels. Each level presents different challenges and insights. At the individual level, it is critical to consider operational processes; at the organisational level, managing the interactions is key; and at the societal level, external influences must be accounted for, to manage the brand. This research contribution in turn offers theoretical guidance, aligned with a high-level brand management perspective, on how to pursue efficiency and effectiveness at three defined levels, as well as relevant avenues for further research.