Purpose
This paper aims to examine the strategic importance of perceived internal branding in building symbolic and behavioral relationships with a corporate in the service sector. Research on internal branding has been confined only to how internal staff understand brand values. Despite the importance of alignment between internal and external communication, little emphasis has been placed on consumers’ perception of how internal staff understand brand values. Even before experiencing service, consumers can shape their overall evaluation on service based on external communication about internal training and its congruence with brand values.
Design/methodology/approach
The theoretical model of cognitive, affective and behavioral responses is empirically tested using the structural equation modeling approach with a sample of 258 adults. Multiple group comparison is also conducted to identify the difference between user and non-user groups.
Findings
The findings indicate that perception of employees’ training and its congruence with external communication enables consumers to shape their cognitive and affective response toward a corporate, which is a source of future purchase intention. How consumers think about internal branding forms their attitudes and images of business and social conduct and enhances their behavioral intention.
Practical implications
The results imply that internal branding should not be limited to organizational communications but should be stretched into a critical topic for external communications. In particular, notable differences between user and non-user groups determined in the model provide further implications for corporate communication.
Originality/value
This paper stretches the concept of internal branding into the area of public interest. Theoretically, it tests a dual process model that suggests cognitive and affective antecedents in predicting consumer intention. Practically, it provides new ground for viewing internal affairs as part of a continuum of external communication and not a separate element of a corporation. The results are conducive to robust customer-firm relationship building in the service sector.
know about who consumers are. The collection of information aids in defi ning the scope of the problem, identifi es possible communication strategies, provides information about the target audience, fi nds what messages work best and how they should be framed, determines the most credible messengers, and identifi es the factors that can help or hinder the campaign.2,3 The information will be useful for both individual behavior change communications promoting behaviors that lead to an improved individual or social well-being and policy change campaigns mobilizing public and decision-maker support for policy support or change. 4 -6 This research incorporates three questions corresponding to the research objectives: (1) Are there any variables that explain patterns in art and cultural consumption behaviors?; (2) If those variables exist, are there any relationships among those variables?; and (3) Can people be categorized by relationships found among the variables? According to Grunig and Repper ' s 7 situational theory of publics, this study will explore how people are engaged in art and cultural activities, reveal any stereotyped patterns and salient differences in cultural consumption, and analyze them through a valid clustering of audiences. It will contribute to identifying, understanding, interpreting and predicting audience behaviors in the art and cultural industry, and will enhance planning more effi cient and target-oriented communication campaigns.
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK AND LITERATURE REVIEWThe rationale for the approach taken by this study comes from audience research, and attitude and behavior-linkage theories. Audience research represents the importance of knowing audience attitude and behavior for customizing messages to the needs of target audiences. Linkage of attitude and behavior is described by the two widely used theories: the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and the Social Cognitive Theory (SCT). With a long history and popularity of the two theories, the association between attitude and behavior is regarded as the appropriate theoretical framework for developing the survey questionnaire.
Audience researchThe idea of audience research has been characterized with its emphasis on message receivers. There has been a widespread and enthusiastic call for convergence in theoretical approach and research traditions. 8 -11 This call for convergence has centered on the audience of mass communication.12 One key notion was a re-conceptualization of the audience as an active producer of meaning.13 Morley 14 showed that divergent groups responded in very different ways to certain media, according to where people were situated. Another fi nding was that people seek out media content that reinforced what they thought and to avoid content that challenged their beliefs.
13Existing research supported that sub-cultural formations within the audience infl uenced the extent to which media representations were accepted or not. 15,16 The mass audience has been shown to be signifi cantly heterogeneous, particular...
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