European Journal of Marketing · 2003 · 786 citations · 30 references
BusinessStrategic ManagementStrategyBrand ManagementBusiness StrategyCorporate StrategyBrand CultureBrand ImageBrand StrategyCorporate BrandingCorporate CultureStrategic Brand ManagementContextCorporate Brand CommunicationCorporate Brand StrategyProcess Gap AnalysisStrategic Vision
Corporate branding is an organisational tool whose success depends on the strategic, organisational, and communicational context in which it is applied. The paper presents a model that helps managers analyze the alignment between strategic vision, organisational culture, and corporate image. The model uses a gap analysis to assess brand coherence and is illustrated through the stages of British Airways’ corporate brand development. The study concludes that corporate brand management is a dynamic process requiring continuous alignment of vision, culture, and image, and that an integrated, cross‑functional approach involving the whole corporation is essential.
This paper describes corporate branding as an organisational tool whose successful application depends on attending to the strategic, organisational and communicational context in which it is used. A model to help managers analyse context in terms of the alignment between strategic vision, organisational culture and corporate image is presented. The model is based on a gap analysis, which enables managers to assess the coherence of their corporate brand. Use of the model is illustrated by examining the stages of development that British Airways passed through in the creation of its corporate brand. The paper concludes that corporate brand management is a dynamic process that involves keeping up with continuous adjustments of vision, culture and image. The model suggests an approach to corporate branding that is organisationally integrated and cross‐functional, hence the thesis that it is important to bring the (whole) corporation into corporate branding.
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