In branding literature, the employee role is recognised as crucial in delivering the service as promised by the brand. A plethora of existing insights have been gained through practitioners' and customers' perspectives. Little empirical research has been undertaken with employees. Therefore, this study aims to reveal their perceptions towards their role and the techniques that enable them to fulfil the brand promise. A case-study approach is adopted using a mixture of qualitative and quantitative methodologies. In-depth interviews reveal that employees feel that their actions are vital to the brand, and findings from a survey of 699 respondents demonstrate positive relationships among internal branding instruments and their brand promise delivery. These tools influence the employees' brand attitudes, namely brand identification, brand commitment and brand loyalty. Ultimately, these attitudes also influence the manner in which employees deliver the service. Therefore, internal branding not only directly influences the extent to which employees perform their role in relation to the brand promise, but also influences the attitudes employees have towards the brand, which in turn affects employee performance.

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The role of internal branding in the delivery of employee brand promise

Purpose – This research paper aims to discuss the role of branding strategy in small and medium size enterprises (SMEs).Design/methodology/approach – The literature on traditional brand management and strategic branding are first reviewed. Four critical constructs are identified, namely brand distinctiveness, brand orientation, brand‐marketing performance and brand barriers. The literature, in combination with (eight) case research interviews, has been synthesised to develop a new theory of SME branding.Findings – The paper reveals that the theory identifies the ladder of SME brand orientation, moving from minimal brand orientation, to embryonic brand orientation to integrated brand orientation. Further, it is suggested that most SMEs will be on the lower steps of the ladder. A model of the brand strategy process has been formulated, specifying links between brand barriers, brand distinctiveness, brand orientation and brand‐marketing performance. The study puts forward some propositions about the pre‐cond...

A brand orientation typology for SMEs: a case research approach

Purpose – To examine the contentious relationship between brand image and brand personality in the context of tourism destinations.Design/methodology/approach – The paper reviews the literature on brand (destination) image, brand (destination) personality and identifies examples of definitional inconsistencies and instances where the terms brand image and brand personality are used interchangeably. Two studies were carried out to investigate the relationship between the two constructs. Data were analysed using canonical correlation.Findings – Results indicate that destination image and destination personality are related concepts. Canonical correlation analyses reveal that the emotional component of destination image captures the majority of variance on destination personality dimensions.Research limitations/implications – Academics must pay particular attention at distinguishing between brand image and brand personality, since, failure to do so, will hinder research progress and result in poor conceptual...

Destination image and destination personality.

Purpose – The paper aims to clarify the relationship between organisational structures and individual brand supporting behaviour. It proposes modelling the social transformation process and outlining why and how leadership is important throughout the internal brand building process. The study aims to expand the domain of corporate branding by including a broader range of human resource and leadership‐related aspects than is normally found in the branding literature.Design/methodology/approach – The paper opted for an exploratory study using the open‐ended approach of grounded theory, including 30 depth interviews and one expert group discussion with employees representing middle and senior management having mainly a marketing and corporate communications background. The data were complemented by documentary analysis, including brand documents, descriptions of internal processes, and copies of employee magazine articles.Findings – The paper provides empirical insights about how change is brought about duri...

Internal brand building and structuration: the role of leadership

Purpose – The aims of this article are to measure the brand equity of service firms (luxury hotels) using a customer perspective, to identify factors that predict customers’ brands relationships and to explore the links between service brand equity and employee brand commitmentDesign/methodology/approach – Two surveys were conducted to achieve the research objectives. The first survey objective was to measure brand equity using a sample of 250 international customers of five‐star hotels in Bangkok. The second survey objective was to collect information regarding employee brand commitment in each selected hotel using a sample of 250 employees.Findings – Results show that hotels belonging to the same category have different brand equity and that brand differentiation and brand trust are the variables that have the major influence on customer brand relationships. Perceived service quality and associations related to hotel core services are not related to brand relationships. High hotel brands equity have a s...

Service brand equity and employee brand commitment

A balanced perspective on brands The diverse interpretations of 'brand' A strategic process for building integrated brands Brand visioning The importance of organizational culture on brands Setting brand objectives Auditing the brandsphere Synthesising the nature of a brand Implementing and resourcing brands Brand evaluation.

L. De Chernatony

Papers

From brand vision to brand evaluation : strategically building and sustaining brands