Corporate Identity and its Linkages with the Corporate Brand
Introduction
Corporate Communication is gaining immense importance in today’s changing times. In the digital age, the biggest challenge for an organization is to remain consistent across traditional as well as new media. Corporate identity management imparts consistency to an organization’s messaging and gives it a personality (emotional, friendly, reliable, trustworthy, simple etc.). Also, Corporate Brand defines the firm that will deliver and stand behind the offering that the customer will buy and use. The corporate brand has access to organizational as well as product associations and represents the organization that stands behind its products. While corporate identity heavily
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Majorly, there have been three key interest areas within this domain that are discussed over many published papers and journals (Van Riel, Ballmer, 1997). The three areas are: Corporate identity as a function of design, corporate identity as a function of integrated marketing communications, and corporate identity as a function of intra-organizational disciplines. These three concepts shall now be discussed in depth.
Corporate Identity: Function of design
In its simplest form, corporate identity is a function of design that includes the name of the organization, its logos, the interior of the buildings, and visual identification such as uniforms of the staff, vehicles and signage. For a long period, graphic designers have remained highly influential been hugely influential in two regards, in that they articulated the basic tenets of corporate identity formation and management and succeeded in keeping the subject on the agenda of senior managers. Currently, symbolism, or design, has assumed a greater role and has moved on from merely increasing organizational visibility, to a more serious position of communicating corporate strategy (Ollins, 1978). There were now three main types of visual identity such as Monolithic (single brand visual), Endorsed (parent brand endorsing a sub-brand) and Branded (a plethora
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This can be manifested in an ability to attract and retain customers and employees, achieve strategic alliances, gain the support of financial markets and generate a sense of direction and purpose. Corporate identity is a strategic issue. Corporate identity differs from traditional brand marketing since it is concerned with all of an organization’s stakeholders and the multi-faceted way in which an organization communicates.” (Ballmer, Bernstein, Riel et al. 1997)
Thus, this statement highlights the multidisciplinary nature of the area and its difference from brand management.
Another interesting research that recent academicians have developed is that corporate identity refers to an organization’s unique characteristics which are rooted in the behaviour of the internal stakeholders i.e., the members of the organization. Many scholars thus opine that management of an organization’s identity is a strategic function and it requires a multidisciplinary approach. Also, senior managers can essentially narrow the gap between actual and desired identity through optimally utilizing the corporate identity mix (behaviour, symbolism and
In every given business, the name itself portrays different meanings. This serves as the reference point and sometimes the basis of customers on what to expect within the company. Since personality affects product image (Langmeyer & Shank, 1994), the presence of brand helps in the realization of this concept. Traditionally, brand is a symbolic manifestation of all the information connected with a company, product, or service (Nilson, 2003; Olin, 2003). A brand is typically composed of a name, logo, and other visual elements such as images, colors, and icons (Gillooley & Varley, 2001; Laforet & Saunders, 1994)). It is believed that a brand puts an impression to the consumer on what to expect to the product or service being offered (Mere, 1995). In other application, brand may be referred as trademark, which is legally appropriate term. The brand is the most powerful weapon in the market (LePla & Parker, 1999). Brands possess personality in which people associate their experience. Oftentimes, they are related to the core values the company executes.
Companies must think about how to differentiate theirs logo among their competitors’. Identify the competitor’s logo well such as competitors use solid, conservative images or flashy graphics. It would help companies to create a logo which is different with their competitors and easy recognize by the public. Furthermore, companies also should focus on their message. For instance, companies want to communicate about their company, decide the unique selling point.
The term employer brand was first introduced and defined by Tim Abmler and Simon Barrow in 1996 at the London School of Business. Abmler and Barrow defined the term as the “package of functional, economic and psychological benefits provided by employment and identified with the employing company” (Hillman 2013). Recruitment branding as evidenced by Ambler and Barrow is a relatively new concept, this concept in organizations aims to create a perception that the organization is a desirable place to work. This concept is an important aspect of every business, it can help companies gain a competitive advantage over the competition, given the fact that human capital is expensive and difficult to attain.
For an organisation’s identification the most important thing is brand logo. Brand logo will make your company impressive and
Corporate visual identity or logo of a company helps establish and maintain a company’s corporate image, of which colour and design are primarily central to it. ‘Within corporate visual identity studies has shown that, the logo has been highlighted as a key element, which can represent the organization to internal and external stakeholders (Byron & Lehman, 2007)’.This assignment examines the Bavarian Motor Works logo (BMW) as its company’s corporate identity towards the audiences; discuss in depth the colour theory used in the designing of the logo for corporate identity purpose as its main aim. Furthermore, go about explaining the attributes concerning the design principles in the logo design. For example: the balance used on the
People are buying the product which gives them prestige. Marketers have interest on consumer psychology and they are playing with every day by showing that their product will give prestige in the society. It’s true that the transparent societies now needs brands image. Marketers analyze the interest and needs of consumer than create the product according to the need of the society. Brand can attain the people attraction and the business can have the good reputation by giving satisfaction to consumer. If the brand gives satisfaction and function are according to the expectation of consumer than the brand gets good image on the mind of consumer. brand image is great weapon to use for the competitors it builds in years , at once the business gets brand image it has competitive edge from other brands in the market. When consumer rely on the brand the company can create the long term relation with the consumer, in other words (CRM) consumer relationship management. The brand image has effect on the choice of every individual there believe and attitude change their preferences. Brand image can be effected by price as price is an important part for consumer when they are making purchase decision if they find the value of brand is equal to the pricing they purchase that brand if not they refuse it. Similarly the image of brand can be effected by the attributes and features or
In literature, the concepts of organizational culture, identity and image have raised many discussions and some authors have particularly got involved on the subject. The principal ones were Albert & Whetten, Dutton & Dukerich , Fiol (Professor of Management), Hatch (Professor of Commerce) and Schultz (Professor at the intercultural communication and management department). Culture and image seem to be the ingredients of the organizational identity dynamics. The thing is that identity, culture and even image are interrelated, they are often used to define one and another proving that their implications are if not similar, absolutely complementary. In this part, there will be a focus on identity and culture as they are related to the case studied
Companies use a collection of brand equities to represent their products in the market (Voolnes, 2012). Brand equity refers to the commercial value that is derived from the perception of consumers on any given brand name of particular products in the market as opposed to the product itself. Ataman (2003) notes that the effect to the consumer is in the brand name and not the product itself. Companies use logos, trademarks and a collection of other symbols to present this information to the customers. The use of these symbols is meant to try and capture the customer mindset so that they can be thinking about the company products at all times through the items they possess at home (Estes, Gibbert, Guest, & Mazursk, 2012). This can well be explained by use of the customer-based brand equity model that brings together the requirements for a publicly renowned brand in the market.
Companies have to distinguish themselves in different ways if they are to have a good reputation and this can be done through their communication strategies. In a time of crisis the company’s reputation is threatened and the communication strategies used will save or hurt the firm’s reputation. Before creating communication strategies, companies ought to identify their stakeholders. Appendix 3 illustrates the different stakeholders of a company.
“Both identity and identification have their root concepts in organizational studies, in that every entity needs to have a sense of who or what it is, who or what other entities are, and how the entities are associated.” (Albert, Ashforth, and Dutton 2000: 13)
A company’s brand is one of its most valuable assets (Green and Smith 2002). Brands owners invest millions of dollars every year in advertising and promotion to raise awareness and create demand for their brands.
A diversified company has two levels of strategy: business unit (or competitive) strategy and corporate (or companywide) strategy. Competitive strategy concerns how to create competitive advantage in each of the businesses in which a company competes. Corporate strategy concerns two different questions: what businesses the corporation should be in and how the corporate office should manage the array of business units.
Brand identity really allows the company to flourish, and stay a strong reputable brand. The brand personality is a mix of young and fresh, while still remembering nostalgic aspects from the brand. The company appeals to emotions. They draw up feelings of nostalgia. The brand has a way of being classic and hip at the same time. They present this personality in their choice of advertisements and product. Everyone can recall what a classic Coke bottle looks like. The glass has a hint of green with sharp curves. It is all branding and brand personality.
As individuals make personal decisions to distinguish themselves from others, whether it’s by having a quirky personality, a unique way of dressing, or being highly intelligent, these components are what others will be reminded of when thinking of them. Therefore, like the individual, organizations also are intentional to differentiate themselves from their competition by creating a corporate identity with distinct traits that becomes the signature of the organization and brand. Corporate identity is defined as strategic choices made, that reflects the values and ethos of the organization that builds the corporate brand, and are inclusive of visual elements such as the organization’s name, logos, colors and designs
Early on in the twentieth century, when mass marketing and production became commonplace, company branding allowed consumers to identify with a company. The consumer made a one sided personal relationship