Core value‐based corporate brand building

TLDR

Core values are central to a corporate brand’s foundation, distinguishing organisational, core, and added values. The article proposes a conceptual framework for corporate brand building grounded in core values. Drawing on ten years of research with over 50 major firms and a Volvo case study, the authors map core values through a ten‑step framework based on interviews and internal strategy documents. Core values are defined as overarching identity concepts that guide brand building, ensuring continuity, consistency, and credibility, and their use has implications for brand‑orientation paradigms.

Abstract

The aim of this article is to introduce a conceptual framework for a corporate brand building process based on core values. The nature, role, and function of core values are considered a central part of the value foundation of a corporate brand. In line with this reasoning, a distinction is also made between three groups of values: organisational values, core values, and added values. This article is based on research into the brand building efforts of more than 50 major companies over a period of ten years. The Volvo case is used as an illustration and places special emphasis on internal processes. The role of the core values in the ten steps of the framework is explored and illustrated. The work is based on first‐hand experiences, interviews, and unique internal strategy documents from Volvo. The discussion defines core values as overarching concepts that summarise the identity of the corporate brand and as guiding lights for the brand building process. Another conclusion drawn from the article is that core values are vital for continuity, consistency and credibility in a value‐creating process. The theoretical and practical implications of using core values as a unifying common thread are discussed in relation to the paradigm of brand orientation.