Employees as a second audience: the effect of external communication on internal brand management outcomes

Piehler, Rico; Schade, Michael; Burmann, Christoph

doi:10.1057/s41262-018-0135-z

Cited by 40 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 64 publications

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“…To date, understanding intervening mechanisms of the knowledge-performance nexus has generated increased attention from marketing scholars as part of the broader area of internal branding (Xiong et al, 2013;Piehler et al, 2016;Piehler et al, 2018;Piehler, 2018). Mediation research in internal branding has covered a wide range of divergent and fragmented mediators as depicted in Table I.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Converting internal brand knowledge into employee performance

Ngo

Nguyen

Huynh

et al. 2019

JPBM

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Purpose Internal branding efforts are essential in improving employee performance in services marketing. Drawing on reformulation of attitude theory, this paper aims to contribute to the internal branding literature by positing that while internal brand knowledge (IBK) is essential for transforming brand vision into brand reality, it is not brand knowledge per se but its integration with other brand- and customer-related aspects that drive superior employee performance. In particular, this paper develops a cognitive-affective-behaviour model of internal branding proposing that IBK results in higher levels of employee brand identification (EBI); this sense of identification then motivates employees to engage in both employee-related and brand- and customer-focussed behaviours (i.e. brand citizenship behaviour [BCB] and customer-oriented behaviour [COB]), which in turn foster employee performance. Design/methodology/approach The hypotheses were empirically tested using a sample of 697 from services industry in Vietnam. Findings The findings indicate a sequential mediation model in that employee brand knowledge affects employee performance (both objective and subjective measures) through EBI, BCB and COB. Employee brand knowledge results in higher levels of EBI; this sense of identification then motivates employees to engage in employee-related brand and customer-focussed behaviours (BCB and COB), which in turn foster employee performance. Practical implications Firms should understand that IBK may not directly result in high levels of service performance, and instead should embrace the culture of self-driven positive brand-connection attitudes that motivate employees to engage in BCB and COB that are consistent with their sense of self. Originality/value This study makes a unique contribution to the internal branding literature by unravelling a pathway that integrates employees’ self-related psychological mechanism (EBI) and employee-related brand and customer-focussed behaviours (BCB and COB) through which employee brand knowledge is converted into employee performance.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Converting internal brand knowledge into employee performance

Ngo

Nguyen

Huynh

et al. 2019

JPBM

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“…Further, these findings contribute to the literature for the first time, to the best of the author's knowledge, investigating BCB as one of the core consequences of IGM. Several studies have investigated the antecedents of BCB (e.g., Burmann et al, 2009;Piehler et al, 2019). However, the majority of previous studies neglect the effect of IGM as one of the key antecedents of BCB.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Boosting brand citizenship behavior through internal green marketing: The role of brand trust and willingness to be environmentally friendly.

Amireh

2021

JSM

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Green marketing is a critical issue in today’s society. The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of internal green marketing (IGM) on brand citizenship behavior (BCB). Drawing on the theoretical foundations of social identity theory, cognitive consistency theory, and social exchange theory, this study presents and validates a unique model that examines the mediating effect of brand trust and the moderating effect of willingness to be environmentally friendly on the relationship between IGM and BCB. Using a sample of 176 employees employed in a telecommunication company in Jordan, the findings of this study revealed that internal green marketing is a strong predictor of BCB. Further, the positive effect of internal green marketing on brand citizenship behavior is mediated by brand trust. The findings of this study also confirmed the contingent role of willingness to be environmentally friendly on the relationship between IGM and BCB. Theoretical and managerial implications have been provided accordingly.

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“…Through internal branding efforts, organizations can help employees to increase their brand knowledge and effectively deliver the brand message by transforming it into a brand reality for customers and other stakeholders (Wang et al, 2019;. Various studies have identified that successful internal branding increases employee identification, engagement, commitment and loyalty to the brand (Lee et al, 2014;Löhndorf and Diamantopoulos, 2014;Papasolomou and Vrontis, 2006;Piehler et al, 2019). Given that participation and involvement have been portrayed as the antecedents of brand engagement (Leckie et al, 2016), encouraging employees to act as brand co-creators, may influence them positively.…”

Section: Employees As Brand Co-creatorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…When communicating brand messages to the outside world, employees at all levels participated, thereby "representing the brand" (Dean et al, 2016). With their enhanced brand knowledge, employees were able to build emotional bonds with the brand and deliver the brand identity to stakeholders during their daily work (Löhndorf and Diamantopoulos, 2014;Papasolomou and Vrontis, 2006;Piehler et al, 2019). Employees' external communication centred on delivering the brand promise and values, which may ultimately impact on brand image (de Chernatony, 2010;Kapferer, 2012;.…”

Section: Delivering Brand Identity Through External Communicationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Co-creating consistent brand identity with employees in the hotel industry

CHUNG¹,

Byrom

2020

JPBM

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Purpose This paper aims to investigate how brand identity is co-created, with a specific focus on how employees contributed to the process in a five-star hotel setting. The focus of this study is on understanding how two hotels planned and executed their brand identity strategy simultaneously, differentiating one from the other and how employees actively participated in this process. Design/methodology/approach A longitudinal case study approach was adopted, centred on building the identity of two luxury hotels owned by a single company in Seoul, Korea. Various organizational documents were collected and analyzed to understand the brand identity of the hotels and how brand co-creation has been implemented. In addition, semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 42 employees to understand the brand co-creation process from their perspective. Findings The brand co-creation process of the hotels was conducted simultaneously and evolved over the following four phases, with employees’ roles varying in each phase, namely, establishing a clear brand identity strategy; designing and selecting sensory identity; aligning organizational identity; and delivering brand identity through external communication. Employees that participated in brand co-creation enhanced their brand knowledge, developed emotional bonds with the brand and were motivated to deliver the brand identity. Furthermore, those that immersed themselves in the new brand identities were able to enable positive guest perceptions towards the brand image, which consequently enhanced employees’ pride in their work. Research limitations/implications This research advances the brand management literature in defining branding and brand identity elements, as well as emphasizing the importance of consistent branding. In addition, the current study expands the scope of internal branding, highlighting the process of brand co-creation and the role of employees as active participants. Moreover, it reveals that employees’ participation enhances not only their brand knowledge but also their emotional bonds with the brand. The proposed conceptual framework demonstrates the flow of branding elements, brand identity elements and the “infinite loop” of employee participation in brand co-creation. Originality/value The case study approach adopted here enables an in-depth investigation of employee participation in brand co-creation, including their different roles and activities in the process; a phenomenon that has not been adequately explored in previous research.

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Employees as a second audience: the effect of external communication on internal brand management outcomes

Cited by 40 publications

References 64 publications

Converting internal brand knowledge into employee performance

Converting internal brand knowledge into employee performance

Boosting brand citizenship behavior through internal green marketing: The role of brand trust and willingness to be environmentally friendly.

Co-creating consistent brand identity with employees in the hotel industry

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