A brand within a brand: an integrated understanding of internal brand management and brand architecture in the public sector

Branding in the public sector is emerging as an interesting area of research, as diverse organisations find themselves using branding principles to promote a consistent, clear brand. However, very little is known how public organisations could, or should, manage their brands. The purpose of this research, therefore, is to explore brand management processes in the public sector, and its implication for brand architecture, from an employee perspective. With a qualitative approach, the study argues that branding is important not only for the organisation, but also for individual departments. Further, unlike branding in the private sector, public organisations may be more concerned with supporting a positive perception and organisational attractiveness rather than a unique and differentiated brand. This may have implications for brand architecture. By allowing individual departments to manage their brand with support from organisational structures that provide alignment and focus, organisations can form a brand architecture that supports a strong organisational brand and employee brand commitment

Brand champion behaviour: Its role in corporate branding

yesBrand champions are responsible for encouraging employee commitment to the corporate brand strategy. They strongly believe in and identify with the brand concept—the company’s selected brand meaning, which underpins corporate brand strategy implementation. We conducted research to explore why and how brand champion behaviour operates within companies implementing a new corporate brand strategy. Against a backdrop of growing interest in brand champion behaviour in corporate branding research, we grounded our study in social identity theory and rhetorical theory from change management literature. Our findings show that articulating a compelling brand vision, taking responsibility, and getting the right people involved are the most widely used strategies by brand champions. We uncover how rhetorical strategies within brand champion behaviour generate employee commitment to a new corporate brand strategy. The dimension of brand champion behaviour that is effective depends on the type of brand evolution, involving shifts in the brand concept. We make suggestions for further studies underpinned by social identity theory and rhetorical theory to investigate brand champion behaviour processes within companies introducing a new corporate brand strategy

Instrumente der Dialogkommunikation: ein Überblick

Besonders durch das Aufkommen neuer Kommunikationsmöglichkeiten und dem zunehmenden Bedürfnis der Konsumenten nach Interaktion und Austausch nimmt die Dialogkommunikation eine immer zentralere Rolle im Kommunikationsmix ein. Hierbei stehen Unternehmen insbesondere die Instrumente der Persönlichen Kommunikation, Messen und Ausstellungen, des Direct Marketing sowie der Social Media-Kommunikation zur Verfügung. Der Beitrag liefert einen Überblick über die Dialogkommunikation sowie deren Instrumente. Abschließend wird die Frage der Kontrolle der Instrumente durch Unternehmen thematisiert