Brand Alignment Research Articles

Dual career in the workplace: co-creation of a conceptual framework by employers and employee-sportspersons incorporating corporate social responsibility and brand alignment.

The purpose of this study was to provide an evidence base and conceptual framework to inform new guidelines for achieving a balance between sports and employment commitments (i.e., dual career, DC) of the employee-sportspersons. To shape a DC discourse in the workplace, the distinct and combined views of the employee-sportspersons (i.e., the Employee), the managers (i.e., the Employer) were considered. Following a concept mapping methodology, 257 international participants (25% employers and 75% employee-sportspersons) sorted and rated 50 potential statements associated with DC circumstances and supports in the workplace. Six distinct clusters emerged, with the combined employers-employee co-creation scenario assigning 6 statements to the micro dimension (Cluster 1 = Workplace Benefits), 4 statements to the meso dimension (Cluster 2 = Role of National Sports Governing Bodies), 19 statements to the macro dimension (Cluster 3 = Dual Career Policy Development), 4 and 5 statements to the organizational dimensions (Cluster 4 = Employee-Employer Collaboration and Responsibility; Cluster 5 = Sport Career Integration), and 12 statements to the policy (Cluster 6 = Workplace Strategies for Dual Career Support) dimension. With respect to the employers, the employee-sportspersons showed higher scores (p < 0.05) for importance of clusters 2, 4, and 6, and for feasibility of clusters 2 and 6. These findings suggest priorities for changes within the DC dimensions identified, and envisage flexible models for aligning corporate brand values and corporate social responsibility strategies through meaningful and proactive DC support of the employee-sportspersons in the workplace. The findings provide a rigorously derived evidence base to inform the formulation of new DC workplace guidelines.

Research on the influence of digital human avatar characteristics on brand fans effect

PurposeThis study aims to provide supplements to the research on digital human avatar (DHA) and suggestions for brands to use DHA appropriately to build brand fans effect.Design/methodology/approachOn the basis of integrating Avatar theory and Stimulus-organism-response theory, this study obtains data from 733 Chinese respondents aged 18–25 and uses regression analysis and bootstrap analysis to verify the relationships among the variables: DHA characteristics (form realism, behavioral realism and brand alignment) as the independent variables, brand fans effect as the dependent variable, consumer positive emotion as the mediating variable and product type (experience vs search) as the moderating variable.FindingsThe results show that DHA characteristics positively influence brand fans effect and consumer positive emotion, consumer positive emotion positively influences brand fans effect and consumer positive emotion plays a mediating role. Meanwhile, for experience products, the impact of DHA’s form realism and behavioral realism on consumer positive emotion is higher than that of brand alignment; for search products, the impact of DHA’s brand alignment on consumer positive emotion is higher than that of form realism and behavioral realism.Originality/valueThis study enriches and expands the empirical research perspectives and conclusions in the DHA field, improves its research framework and provides suggestions for brands to appropriately use DHA to build brand fans effect.

Navigating the age of AI influence: A systematic literature review of trust, engagement, efficacy and ethical concerns of virtual influencers in social media

This systematic literature review (SLR) delves into the realm of Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered virtual influencers (VIs) in social media, examining trust factors, engagement strategies, VI efficacy compared to human influencers, ethical considerations, and future trends. Analyzing 60 academic articles from 2012 to 2024, drawn from reputable databases, the study applies specific inclusion and exclusion criteria. Both automated and manual searches ensure a comprehensive review. Findings reveal a surge in VI research post-2012, primarily in journals, with quantitative methods prevailing. Geographically, research focuses on Europe, Asia Pacific, and North America, indicating gaps in representation from other regions. Key themes highlight trust and engagement’s critical role in VI marketing, navigating the balance between consistency and authenticity. Challenges persist regarding artificiality and accountability, managed through brand alignment and transparent communication. VIs offers advantages, including control and cost efficiencies, yet grapple with authenticity issues, addressed through human-like features. Ethically, VI emergence demands stringent guidelines and industry cooperation to safeguard consumer well-being. Looking ahead, VIs promises transformative storytelling, necessitating vigilance in ethical considerations. This study advocates for continued scholarly inquiry and industry reflection to navigate VI marketing evolution responsibly, shaping the future influencer marketing landscape.

A meta-model of customer brand loyalty and its antecedents

This research consolidates existing knowledge about customer brand loyalty and its antecedents by developing and empirically validating an integrative meta-model. First, with a grounded theory literature review of 199 prior studies, the authors identify 275 antecedents of loyalty that they aggregate into four meta-concepts: (1) brand offer, (2) consumer–brand alignment, (3) brand experience, and (4) consumer–brand bonding. Second, the authors theoretically derive four alternative models that describe the interrelations of these meta-concepts and loyalty and empirically identify the most suitable one, using meta-analytical structural equation modeling. The findings, based on 1,261 effect sizes from 557 studies, provide support for a two-stage process, in which brand experience and consumer–brand bonding have direct effects on loyalty and mediate the effects of brand offer and consumer–brand alignment that precede them. The meta-model and associated empirical generalizations lay a robust, consolidated foundation for continued efforts to understand how to create and nurture loyalty.

Review of Malaysian Social Media Influencers Credibility

This review study delves into the self-promotion strategies of social media platforms, particularly focusing on the realm of influencer’s criteria that are credible for the Malaysia market. The primary objective of this research is to enlighten marketers about existing Influencer’s Criteria guidelines with insights into effectively identifying credible influencers for promoting their brands. Employing qualitative methodologies, the research employs techniques such as content analysis, case studies, and observation of promotional video content. The investigation centres around five Instagram influencers from Malaysia, examining their advertising approaches, alignment with specific niches, and the categories of content they share. The findings underscore the paramount importance of various factors in influencer selection, including relevance, authenticity, engagement, reach, content quality, brand alignment, and a proven track record. Furthermore, the research delves into the array of video content that influencers employed. Armed with an understanding of how influencers present themselves and the characteristics that define influential individuals, marketers are equipped to mitigate the risks associated with influencer marketing fraud and establish fruitful collaborations that resonate with their brands.

Brand Alignment Targeting against the Needs of Gen-Z Consumers to Improve Brand Identity and Brand Advocacy

The phenomenon of online transportation in Indonesia has indeed been rampant for the last ten years due to increasingly sophisticated technological developments. The presence of PT Gojek Indonesia as a startup engaged in the field of online transportation has received a positive response from Gen-Z circles. This can be seen from the several services that PT Gojek Indonesia continues to develop so that in the end, there are 22 on-demand services that users can enjoy. This study aims to determine the indicators of Gen-Z consumer needs preferences in measuring brand alignment and how PT Gojek Indonesia will carry out the strategy to create the brand identity and brand advocacy for Gen-Z. The quantitative method used in this research uses the Partial Least Square Structural Equation Model (PLS-SEM) analysis technique. The critical finding of this study is that three exogenous variables (Brand Alignment, Brand Identity, and Brand Advocacy) positively and significantly affect consumer needs. However, this study has yet to explore consumer needs by adopting a comprehensive theory. Therefore, future research on brand alignment, identity, and advocacy, should discuss in more detail the sides of consumer needs by taking into account relevant theories, such as Maslow’s theory of markets and consumer behavior.

An Investigation Into Slogan Design On Creating Slogan–Brand Alignment

As the COVID-19 pandemic has reshaped consumers’ perceptions of brand messaging, advertisers are revisiting their messages and investing more heavily to strengthen brand identity alignment. Brand identity alignment is the configuration of all semiotic components— brand name, logo, and slogan—used to support a company’s desired brand image. With semiotic theory and congruence theory used as foundations, this paper examines attributes of slogans that affect their alignment with brand identity. Using data from a large-scale field study, followed by a validation study using senior advertising managers, the authors find that message clarity and creativity enhance, whereas a jingle in a slogan message reduces, the slogan–brand alignment.

An online research approach for a dual perspective analysis of brand associations in art museums

The paper develops a research approach that combines digital ethnography with text mining to explore consumers’ perception of a brand and the degree of alignment between brand identity and image. In particular, the paper investigates the alignment between the art museum’s brand identity and the brand image emerging from visitors’ narratives of their experience. The study adopts a mixed methodology based on netnography and text mining techniques. The analysis concerns an art museum’s brand, with the case of the “Opera del Duomo Museum” in Florence. The methodological approach enables a combined investigation of user-generated content in online communities and the company’s online brand communication, contributing to identifying branding actions that can be taken to increase the brand alignment. It also enables the measurement of the degree of alignment between museums and visitors among common brand themes. Specific indicators of alignment are provided. A key point is the replicability of the model in other contexts of analysis in which the content produced by consumers in online contexts are relevant and readily available, such as fashion or food.

Combining online market research methods for investigating brand alignment: the case of Nespresso

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to propose a research approach to investigate brand alignment by exploiting textual data from online brand communities in the coffee industry. Specifically, consumer brand associations from user-generated content (UGC) and company brand associations from firm-generated content (FGC) are explored to measure the alignment between brand identity and brand image. The selected context of research is the beverage industry wherein companies are called on to develop appropriate digital websites and brand communication strategies to enhance the consumers' brand experience.Design/methodology/approachThe authors introduce a research approach that integrates netnography with text mining analysis. Since brand associations were the basis of the study’s analysis, the authors focused on text mining procedures, providing data (co-occurrences) corresponding to brand associations that consumers perceive and that the company communicates. Data were used to develop the measurements of brand alignment.FindingsThe main findings of this research highlight the importance for both scholars and practitioners of determining brand alignment of beverage products in online communities. Knowing the alignment between the way a company communicates its brand identity and how this is perceived by consumers allows for effectively reviewing brand communication.Originality/valueAlthough the combined analysis of the alignment between brand image and brand identification has received attention in marketing literature, most scholars have neglected how to measure brand alignment. This is a need for many marketing managers in the coffee industry who are now moving in digital environments where the role of consumers is not that of receivers of brand communication but rather that of cocreators of brand value.

BRAND TRAITS AND BRAND PERFORMANCE OF AUTOMOBILE MARKETING FIRMS IN SOUTH-S0UTH OF NIGERIA

This study examined the influence of brand traits on brand performance of automobile marketing firms in South-South, Nigeria. A conceptual framework was used to illustrate a diagrammatic relationship between dependent and independent variable. The study adopted descriptive research design. The target population was 129 automobile marketing firms in South-South, Nigeria. The study used simple random sampling technique to select 2 respondents each from the 129 automobile marketing firms. The sample size was taken to be 258. A pilot study was carried out to refine the instrument. The quality and consistency of the survey was further assessed using Cronbach's alpha. 258 copies of questionnaire were distributed to respondents, and the number of completed and usable response was 235 out of 258 responses. After data cleaning, 200 (85%) copies of questionnaire were found useful for the analysis. Data analysis was performed on a computer using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS Version 22) for Windows. Analysis was done using regression analysis. The study revealed that the components of brand traits significantly influence brand price sensitivity and brand alignment. The study therefore concludes that, brand traits significantly influence brand performance of automobile marketing firms in South-South of Nigeria, and recommends amongst others that managers of automobile marketing firms should position strategically, brand sincerity as identified by this study to brand performance, since the study unveiled its statistical significant influence on the metrics of brand performance (brand price sensitivity and brand alignment).

The corporate social responsibility (CSR) internal branding model: aligning employees’ CSR awareness, knowledge, and experience to deliver positive employee performance outcomes

ABSTRACT With corporate social responsibility (CSR) becoming increasingly important, this research forms a nexus for strategic CSR and internal brand knowledge through the conceptual development and empirical validation of a model. The research methodology is based on an online survey administered via a temporal data collection approach (i.e. two-wave). The findings substantiate that internal branding constructs that characterise the employees internal CSR experienced. The internal CSR experience is also shaped by individual factors, such as employee awareness of CSR, perception of the sincerity of the CSR brand and subjective knowledge of CSR. The findings demonstrate the precedential effect of the internal branding constructs on employee performance outcomes (CSR involvement, organisational attachment and organisational citizenship behaviours). The integrity of the model is substantiated by partial least squares (PLS) testing. The study provides scholars and practitioners with empirical evidence of CSR as an internal branding tool to improve brand alignment and employee performance.

Corporate brand alignment in business markets: a practice perspective

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to study practices associated with corporate brand alignment enacted by marketing managers in an emerging business to business market.Design/methodology/approachThe “Marketing-as-practice” perspective is used to examine brand alignment-related practices. A five months fieldwork was undertaken wherein primary data were collected using in-depth interviews of 30 managers representing steel, mining, energy, engineering consulting and Information Technology/Information Technology-Enabled Services' sectors along with observational data from event sites and industry meets. Secondary data stemmed from marketing plans and events' rosters. Data were analysed adopting the practice turn.FindingsThe constitution of three practices concerning brand alignment is unearthed: (1) practice of identifying key stakeholders, (2) practice of narrativization of brand promises and (3) practice of engaging key stakeholders.Research limitations/implicationsThis study highlights the dynamic nature of corporate brand alignment requiring a continuous gap analysis to verify coherency between internal and external brand elements. It also highlights the elicited relation between alignment, authenticity and advocacy. Suggestions for further research are provided.Practical implicationsThis study elucidates managers' role as intrapreneurs in the process of alignment and provides a possible solution to the new marketing myopia which impairs stakeholder management.Originality/valueThis research identifies that brand alignment is not an abstract concept but a set of practices that help convert the symbolic capital held in brands into cultural and social capital.

Silence from the brands: message control, brand ambassadorship, and the public interest

PurposeInternal aspects of public sector branding have received limited attention in existing research. The purpose is to examine, firstly, how public managers experience and handle the tension between empowering employees to be dedicated brand ambassadors while at the same time regulating their voice, and secondly, to outline some implications of aligning employee voice with the organization's brand, especially for the public interest.Design/methodology/approachThe study is based on two sources of data. The first includes official admission statistics for high schools in Oslo, Norway, for 2018/2019. Schools in Oslo, a city which has introduced a competitive secondary education market, fall into three admission levels based on points necessary for entry. The second source is semi-structured interviews with principals in 15 high schools on different admission levels.FindingsMost of the principals were concerned about how marketization of the high schools leads to a skewed distribution of students and an increasing divide between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ schools, but signalled market adaptation through their handling of employee voice. Due to reputation and branding concerns in the competition for students and funding, voice restrictions, not brand ambassadorship, was the preferred strategy to ensure brand alignment. The consequence of this strategy, the paper argues, is public silence at the expense of the public interest.Research limitations/implicationsNot interviewing teachers or middle managers may be seen as a limitation, but principals were chosen as they are the main decision makers and strategists in high schools. Using a qualitative research design may be a limitation, but this design was chosen as it seems appropriate in order to uncover the school executives' perceptions, experiences and thoughts.Practical implicationsSelling the brand to employees and enabling them to further sell it to external stakeholders is an enticing ideal but perhaps less possible to implement in reality for public sector organizations facing strong market mechanisms because the concern for the brand image takes precedence. Public sector managers should exercise care when managing employee voice so as to not negatively influence employees’ commitment to the brand. They should also be aware of the implications of voice restrictions for the public interest. Public silence may cause a less informed public with limited possibilities to make informed school choices and knowing how money is spent.Originality/valueThe present study is among the first to explore internal aspects of public sector branding. Researching the position of employee voice in brand alignment strategies is a novel contribution. The study is unique in its focus on the implications of branding for the public interest.

Problematizing the presentation and reception of political brands

PurposeThere are explicit calls for research devoted to how political actors present their brand to the electorate and how this is interpreted. Responding to this, the purpose of this paper is to build an understanding of how political brand messages and values are received and aligned with voter expectations, which in turn shapes the consistency of a political brand.Design/methodology/approachUsing an interpretivist perspective, this two-stage approach first focuses on semi-structured interviews with internal stakeholders of the UK Conservative Party and second uses focus group discussions with external stakeholders (voters) of age 18-24 years. Data was collected between 1 December 2014 and 6 May 2015.FindingsThe findings suggest that the UK Conservative brand had recovered from the “nasty party” reputation. Further, the Conservative brand was perceived as credible, trustworthy and responsible, with positive associations of “economic competence”. However, while the nasty party imagery has declined, the UK Conservative brand continues to face challenges particularly in terms of longstanding negative associations perceived by both internal and external markets.Research limitations/implicationsIt must be acknowledged that all research methods have their own limitations, and acknowledging these will strengthen the ability to draw conclusions. In this study, for example, due to time constraints during the election campaign period, 7 participants supported stage one of the study and 25 participants supported stage two of the study. However, participants from stage one of the study represented all three elements of the UK Conservative Party (Parliamentary, Professional and Voluntary). In addition, the elite interviews were longer in duration and this provided a greater opportunity to capture detailed stories of their life experiences and how this affected their brand relationship. Similarly, participants for stage two focussed on young voters of age 18-24 years, a segment actively targeted by the UK Conservative Party.Practical implicationsThe brand alignment framework can help practitioners illuminate components of the political brand and how it is interpreted by the electorate. The increasing polarisation in politics has made this a vital area for study, as we see need to understand if, how or why citizens are persuaded by a more polarised brand message. There are also social media issues for the political brand which can distort the carefully constructed brand. There are opportunities to evaluate and operationalize this framework in other political contexts.Originality/valueThe brand alignment model extends current branding theory first by building on an understanding of the complexities of creating brand meaning, second, by operationalizing differences between the brand and how it is interpreted by the electorate, finally, by identifying if internal divisions within the political party pose a threat to the consistency of the brand.

Antecedents and consequences of shoppers' attitude toward branded store-within-stores: An exploratory framework

Although branded store-within-stores are increasing in popularity in the retail environment, there has been limited systematic research on this phenomenon. This study develops and tests a theoretically grounded framework of the antecedents of shoppers' attitude toward store-within-stores and, subsequently, patronage intentions toward store-within-stores and the host retailer. Brand alignment, or the extent to which the brand featured in a store-within-store arrangement fits with the other brands carried by a host retailer, brand-related factors, and store-related factors are considered as antecedents of attitude toward the store-within-store. Based on the findings, implications are offered for academicians and practitioners. Future research directions for advancing knowledge on store-within-stores are also presented.

Positive Shock: A Consumer Ethical Judgement Perspective

Existing debates on business ethics under-represent consumers’ perspectives. In order to progress understanding of ethical judgement in the marketplace, we unpack the interconnections between consumer ethical judgment, consent and context. We address the question of how consumers judge the morality of threat-based experiential marketing communications. Our interpretive qualitative research shows that consumers can feel positively about being shocked, judging threat appeals as more or less ethical by the nature of the negative emotions they experience. We also determine that the intersection between ethical judgement, consent and context lies where consumers’ perceptions of fairness and consequences lend contextualised normative approval to marketing practice. Our research makes three original contributions to existing literature. First, it extends theory in the area of ethical judgement, by highlighting the importance of consent for eliciting positive moral responses. Second, it adds to embryonic research addressing the role of emotions in ethical judgement, by ascertaining that negative emotions can elicit positive consumer ethical judgement. Third, our research contributes an original concept to ethical judgement theorisation, namely consumer-experienced positive shock (CEPS). We define CEPS as a consensual shock value judged as ethical due to its ephemerality, commercial resonance, brand alignment, target-audience appropriateness and contextual acceptability. We also extrapolate the dimensions of CEPS into an ethical judgement typology, elucidating how consumers judge some threat-based communications as ethical, but not others. Consequently, our work dovetails with wider business ethics debates on ethical judgement, adding value by clarifying the conditions that generate positive consumer ethical judgement.

Corporate partners and charities: A Movember perspective on strategic brand alignment, fostering mutually beneficial goals, and outcomes in non-profit sponsorship

How can corporate partners be effectively secured for non-profits that collectively also look to achieve the same goals and outcomes? This paper guides readers to wards an answer for their organisations and achieve their desired outcomes, from which they can work backwards to determine clear goals and desired brands to achieve these goals. Through specific examples of what worked for the Movember Foundation, this paper aims to provide context and help point readers towards strategies and tactics to help them achieve for their own non-profits or brands.

Understanding structures of Collaborative Design Innovation (CDI) management practices: A strategic brand alignment approach

Abstract This article sets out to explain structures of design management practices around the implementation of product innovation strategies that rely on collaborations with external design consultants, what this article refers to as Collaborative Design Innovation (CDI) strategies. Whilst design management practices for implementing collaborative approaches to product design innovation have been widely described in design and innovation management literatures, we still know very little about the organizational mechanisms affecting such structures and configurations of design management practices. This study aims to build theoretical explanations as to how we may understand structures of enacted CDI management practices, which is approached through analyses of how firms strive to strategically align design management practices and (corporate) brand management. First, the article presents a theoretical framework for analysing such strategic alignment by elaborating relational perspectives on different strategic approaches to brand management – conceptualized as ‘brand logics’ – and CDI management practices. Second, this framework is then applied to a multiple case study of six Danish small- and medium-sized enterprises operating in the Danish interior design industry. Through within- and cross-case grounded analyses empirical findings reveal relational patterns between two brand logics and two dominant structures of design management practices. As the main contribution of the article, findings suggest that observed differences in enacted structures of CDI management practices across case-companies may be explained on the basis of understanding firm dominant brand logics. Implications for design management theory and practice conclude the article.

Friends, partners, and orphans

The essay juxtaposes three moments of medical infrastructure and technology aid in Phnom Penh, Cambodia: 1960, 2010, and 2005. The operative terms of these moments are relationship terms: ‘friendship’, ‘partnership’, and ‘orphan’. The 1960 gift of a hospital, equipment, and training made a friend, and reciprocity involved political alignment at the level of the nation-state. The 2010 gift of equipment and training made a partner, and reciprocity involved brand alignment spread across diverse government ministries, public hospitals, private universities, and private businesses. Focusing on the materiality of technology and infrastructure gifts brings us to the orphan. The orphan is a gift that turns toxic. Its toxicity is health-threatening if there is no infrastructure to secure it. The elaborate partnerships required to identify and secure orphan sources of radiation show how gifts of medical technology and infrastructure exist beyond their immediate utility to humans. What technology of partnership will the medical physicist of 2050 unearth, and what ethic of relationality will come to care for, repair, and secure it?

Inquiry into corporate brand alignment: a dialectical analysis and directions for future research

Purpose– The purpose of the study is to inquire into and to provide an integrated framework of academics’ and practitioners’ conversations on corporate brand alignment.Design/methodology/approach– A systematic literature review (with no time restrictions) was used to identify relevant journal publications from the years 2000 to 2013. Based on the retrieved articles, the Hegelian dialectic triad of “thesis, antithesis and synthesis” was used to inquire into conventional thinking on corporate brand management (i.e. through corporate brand alignment).Findings– The final sample of 59 articles brought to light a theory of corporate brand alignment, its recent contradictions and critiques and scholars’ attempts to unify them into an integrated framework. Three main perspectives emerged, suggesting that corporate brand could be managed through aligned (i.e. thesis), separated (i.e. antithesis) or mixed approaches (i.e. synthesis).Research limitations/implications– This research considers only English peer-reviewed journal articles retrieved from the EBSCO and WOS databases.Originality/value– This work proposes a contingency approach to corporate brand management, suggesting that there is no single best way of managing a corporate brand: aligned, separated and mixed approaches can be equally successful. Despite the choice of model (which arises from the analysis of the corporate brand meanings, stakeholders and contexts), three transversal corporate brand management imperatives emerged: the delivery of the corporate brand promise, the co-construction of corporate brand meanings and the recognition of the dynamic nature of corporate brands.