Corporate identity, corporate branding and corporate marketing ‐ Seeing through the fog

TLDR

Corporate identity and marketing have been shrouded in conceptual ambiguity, prompting diverse disciplinary schools that may underpin a new corporate marketing framework. The study aims to clarify business identity attributes, define corporate marketing, present a new HEADS marketing mix, and call for scholarly attention to the factors obscuring the field. The author develops a conceptual framework by defining identity attributes, detailing corporate marketing characteristics, linking identity to brand, and distinguishing product from corporate brands.

Abstract

Outlines 15 explanations for the fog which has enveloped the nascent domains of corporate identity and corporate marketing. However, the fog surrounding the area has a silver lining. This is because the fog has, unwittingly, led to the emergence of rich disciplinary, philosophical as well as “national”, schools of thought. In their composite, these approaches have the potential to form the foundations of a new approach to management which might be termed “corporate marketing”. In addition to articulating the author’s understanding of the attributes regarding a business identity (the umbrella label used to cover corporate identity, organisational identification and visual identity) the author outlines the characteristics of corporate marketing and introduces a new corporate marketing mix based on the mnemonic “HEADS”[2]. This relates to what an organisation has, expresses, the affinities of its employees, as well as what the organisation does and how it is seen by stakeholder groups and networks. In addition, the author describes the relationship between the corporate identity and corporate brand and notes the differences between product brands and corporate brands. Finally, the author argues that scholars need to be sensitive to the factors that are contributing to the fog surrounding corporate identity. Only then will business identity/corporate marketing studies grow in maturity.