Employer branding

About: Employer branding is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 1555 publications have been published within this topic receiving 54897 citations.

The management of destination brands: Five guiding principles based on recent developments in corporate branding theory

Abstract: In recent years there has been an emerging literature with regard to corporate brands and their management. This paper examines the relevance and potential contribution of this literature to the management of destination brands. It is evident that there are important features of destination brands that distinguish them from product brands and that these have led to differences in the way destination brands are created, developed and maintained. The paper concludes that corporate brands, in contrast, share similarities with destination brands and that the emerging literature on corporate branding can therefore make an important contribution to our understanding of the particular problems of destination brand management and how it might be improved. The paper presents five guiding principles and a framework for the management of destination brands based upon the literature reviewed. An agenda for future consideration and research is also presented.

A country — can it be repositioned? Spain — the success story of country branding

Abstract: Active repositioning of a country through branding can be done successfully and holds great potential for countries. This paper argues that thoughtful brand positioning gives a country a competitive advantage over other nations. The framework suggested explains how the core of a country's brand must capture the spirit of its people and how it can be developed into a brand positioning after consideration of four essential factors — macrotrends, target groups, competitors and core competencies. It advises that the positioning derived should be rich enough to translate into sub-positionings to target diverse groups and that it should be substantiated in terms of what the country can actually offer.

The power of emotion: Brand communication in business-to-business markets

Abstract: In increasingly competitive markets, branding is of growing interest to business-to-business (B2B) firms. Despite an increased interest in branding, and the predominance of branding in consumer markets, B2B branding has received scant attention from academics. In this paper it is argued that organisational buyers can be influenced by both rational and emotional brand values and that B2B brands can surmount functional capabilities to create an emotional connection with buyers. The development and communication of emotional brand values may enhance the potential for value creation and be a means of developing a sustainable differential advantage. For B2B brands to connect with organisational customers, emotional brand values need to be communicated effectively both within the organisation as well as externally through the industrial sales force. A model is proposed that shows how B2B brands should reflect a greater balance between functional and emotional values. There is a clear need for further research into the way in which brands are used, communicated and perceived in B2B markets.

The differences between branding a country, a region and a city: Applying the Brand Box Model

Abstract: Branding has become one of the most powerful tools in marketing strategy. There has been a general agreement among academics and practitioners that places can be branded in the same way as consumer goods and services. Destination branding is a relatively new concept, however, and there is a lack of empirical academic research on the topic. This exploratory study uses the de Chernatony Brand Box Model and applies it to countries, regions and cities. The study was developed in order to understand and clarify whether the same branding techniques should be applied to these three different types of places. The results point to differences between countries when compared with regions and cities. Countries are so functionally diverse they should leverage the emotive or representational parts of their brand identity, while regions and cities, being smaller in scale, should leverage their more functional facets. It seems that regions have more in common with cities from a branding point of view, and this has implications for branding strategies for all three types of tourist destinations.

Characteristics of successful employer brands

Abstract: Based on the analysis of data gathered from industry experts, a typology of the characteristics of successful employer brands is presented. Depth interviews were carried out with senior industry participants from the fields of internal marketing, human resources, communications, branding and recruitment. Transcripts were analysed using formal interpretive procedures. Member checking was undertaken to confirm interpretations. Analysis of the transcripts shows there are two key dimensions of success for an employer brand: attractiveness and accuracy. As with customer-centric brands, attractiveness is underpinned by awareness, differentiation and relevance. For employer brands, however, the accuracy with which the employer brand is portrayed is also critical to success. This emphasis on accuracy highlights the importance of consistency between the employer brand and employment experience, company culture and values. General implications for the strategic management of employer brands are presented as well as marketing and human resource management strategies for each of the four states of employer branding success in the typology. It is proposed that researchers and firms should assess employer brand success according to the typology, using commonly collected human resources metrics. More generally, a case is established for studying employer branding as a context distinct from consumer and corporate branding and conceptualising the employment experience of a firm as a product produced by the culture, policies and processes of the firm.