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Managing Corporate Visual IdentityExploring the Differences Between Manufacturing and Service, and Profit-Making and Nonprofit Organizations
Abstract
Corporate Visual Identity (CVI) is a crucial part of the identity of any organization. Most research on managing corporate identity deals with the strategic development of corporate identity and the design and effects of specific elements of the CVI. This study focuses on an aspect of CVI management that has not received much attention—the problem of maintaining consistent use of the CVI in an organization. A comparison is made between manufacturing and service organizations, and between profit-making and nonprofit organizations. For these organization types, the perceived CVI consistency was investigated, as well as the organizational and CVI management characteristics and instruments affecting it. The research was conducted using questionnaires distributed among employees of 20 Dutch organizations. Most of the differences found were those between profit-making and nonprofit organizations. The results showed greater consistency in the CVI of profit-making organizations, in accordance with the amount of effort these organizations put into CVI management.
... Based on the above description, three main components need to be borne in mind when managing corporate identity with the aim of relationship management: behaviour, communication and symbolism (c.f. Bick, Abratt & Bergman, 2008;Cornelissen & Elving, 2003;Otubanjo & Melewar, 2007;Otubanjo et al., 2010;Van den Bosch, De Jong & Elving, 2004;Van Riel, 1995;Van Riel & Balmer, 1997). From a corporate identity-management perspective, we consider symbolism to be the most important component as this is the component over which the company has the most control. ...
... Being consistent allows the company to be unified and it thus becomes a tool for determining whether all activities project a unified image of the company ( Van den Bosch et al., 2004). ...
... Visibility refers to exposure in the street, national heritage, media exposure and corporate citizenship (Van den Bosch, De Jong & Elving, 2005. Visibility in turn determines the relative importance of the company in relation to other companies in the same sector. ...
This article investigates the relationship between corporate identity-management constructs andthe quality of employer-employee relationships at the North-West University. Internal stakeholderssuch as employees are not so much concerned about how the organisation is visually representedas about the behavioural aspects of the organisation.Companies are continually finding themselves in positions where they are encouraged to managetheir corporate identities with a view to managing their reputations so as ultimately to strengthenand maintain good relationships with their stakeholders. The realisation that employees formpart of the external corporate identity of a company has shifted the focus of corporate identitymanagement inwards towards employees as an internal stakeholder group. Although it isassumed that good corporate identity management leads to good relationships, little researchhas been done on the direct link between the two concepts. Research in this regard has found arelationship between employees’ perceptions of how effectively the company upholds its values(as part of the non-visual corporate identity) and the quality of its employee relationships.
... In this part, we will try to explain how HC cultures and LC cultures also differ significantly with respect to each visual identity dimension: aesthetic appeal; written message; colours; and brands. Differences between LC cultures and HC cultures in these dimensions have been investigated in previous studies (Licht et al., 2007;Mattila, 1999;Van den Bosch et al., 2006;Thomas and Peterson, 2017), leading to the second main null hypothesis: ...
... A simple visual image is a depiction that largely relies on explicit meaning. Relating this to the concept of HC and LC cultures, communication studies suggest that consumers in LC individualistic cultures, like German consumers, are more accustomed to simple visual images than to implicit visual images (Hofstede, 2001;Van den Bosch et al., 2006;Würtz, 2005). In contrast, a complex visual image is a representation that relies on implicit meaning, and communication research suggests that complex visual images are more easily processed by consumers in HC collectivist cultures (Thomas and Peterson, 2017), like that of Iraq. ...
... As shown by the values of Table IV, Iraqis generally assign lower punctuation to aesthetical items because HC cultures feel less attracted towards images. The results are in line with previous findings (Würtz, 2005;Van den Bosch et al., 2006). ...
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyze differences in airlines service quality perceptions (service content) and visual communication styles (service form) between passengers from a high-context (HC) culture (Iraq) and from a low-context (LC) one (Germany). The theoretical support is based on Hall’s (1976) theory about cultural influences on consumers’ perceptions and on ethnocentric influences.
Design/methodology/approach
In this study, the authors compared two groups of passengers from two countries ‒ Iraq (a high-context culture) and Germany (low-context culture) – that gave their opinions about two different airlines (Iraqi Airlines and Lufthansa). In total, 400 personal evaluations were obtained (100 for each company in each country).
Findings
The results have demonstrated that, first, regarding service quality perceptions, both groups of passengers differ, not due to the cultural context, but due to the ethnocentristic feeling, that is service quality values are higher when the domestic company is evaluated in both countries. Second, regarding visual identity perceptions, the cultural context explains perception differences, because the Germans evaluations are higher for both, the foreign company and the domestic one.
Originality/value
First, the authors have measured in the same study whether people from an LC culture differ from people from a HC culture with respect to how they perceive both the content of the service (the perception of service quality) and the form of the service (the perception of visual identity). In other words, the authors have compared not just the way a company delivers its services, but also how the company is visually presented. Second, the authors have studied a country that has seldom been analyzed from a marketing perspective, Iraq. Third, the authors have compared not just two cultures, but also two companies (a domestic one and a foreign one), in order to see if consumers tend to have more positive perceptions of a local company, regardless of the culture to which they belong. If this point is demonstrated, then some more implications related to ethnocentrism will be added for a better understanding of how to proceed in the international arena.
... Research on organizational crisis broadly suggests the importance of maintaining support of a broad range of stakeholders during crisis (e.g., Alpaslan, Green, & Mitroff, 2009;Coombs, 2007;Pearson & Clair, 1998). Ulmer (2001) further suggested that employees are considered primary stakeholders, and the effective communication and relationship management with this primary stakeholder group is critical to postcrisis performance. Nevertheless, empirical studies, other than anecdotal examples/cases and theoretical prescriptions, are largely lacking in the organizational crisis literature. ...
... The importance of employees and their engagement becomes even more salient under the situation of crisis. As Ulmer (2001) specifically remarked, employees are considered the primary stakeholders during organizational crisis and are critical to the firms' crisis recoveries since employees are those to indeed execute and accomplish necessary tasks, particularly under the urgency of crisis. Therefore, when managers prioritize their communication efforts to focus on employees during the economic crisis, such efforts help increase employee engagement and the likelihood that the necessary tasks needed during the crisis will be carried out in a rather seamless and timely manner, contributing to the postcrisis performance improvement. ...
... Regarding the use of corporate slogans, corporate slogans or communicable corporate themes are a form of communication that encapsulates the organizational direction and priority in simple phrases that are repeated for emphasis and to increase memorability (Amernic & Craig, 2004). From a communication standpoint, the simple and memorable phrases in forms of corporate slogans help firms convey the firms' bigpicture messages and corporate image of the firms to employees, managers, and broader stakeholders (Deetz et al., 2000;Hatch & Schultz, 1997;van den Bosch, de Jong, & Elving, 2006). As such, the use of corporate slogans in the situation of crisis can simplify and facilitate the communication of organizational directions and priorities to all parties involved, and help establish the organizational clarity among them. ...
Given the frequency and severity of crises faced by organizations, the question of how managers can best lead their organizations through times of crisis is important. Communication plays a particularly critical role in such situations. We perform a multistage content analysis study using letters to shareholders appearing in publicly traded Japanese and U.S. firms during the economic downturn following Lehman Brothers bankruptcy in 2008. In our initial exploratory study, we identify employee primacy and the existence of corporate slogans as relevant constructs. We then develop hypotheses and test them in a larger sample confirmatory study. We find that firms concurrently exhibiting both employee primacy and corporate slogans in their communication outperformed their peers. To aid in interpreting our results, we also provided three examples of qualitative descriptions of such firms. Our Japanese and U.S. sample increases the generalizability of our results.
... 403). That such teaching is important, and sometimes not recognized as such, has been made clear by several researchers (Brumberger, 2005(Brumberger, , 2007a(Brumberger, , 2007bLauer & Sanchez, 2011;Portewig, 2004;van den Bosch, de Jong, & Elving, 2006). Brumberger (2005) noted the centrality of "visual rhetoric" to many genres in business, but pointed to a discrepancy between that workplace need and current pedagogy, which places more emphasis on the verbal to the detriment of the visual. ...
... 403). That such teaching is important, and sometimes not recognized as such, has been made clear by several researchers (Brumberger, 2005(Brumberger, , 2007a(Brumberger, , 2007bLauer & Sanchez, 2011;Portewig, 2004;van den Bosch, de Jong, & Elving, 2006). Brumberger (2005) noted the centrality of "visual rhetoric" to many genres in business, but pointed to a discrepancy between that workplace need and current pedagogy, which places more emphasis on the verbal to the detriment of the visual. ...
... Almost three quarters of respondents said that enhancing their visual communication abilities would enhance their ability to make and explain decisions and work efficiently. Based on a review of the scholarly literature and textbooks from 1985 to 2002, Portewig (2004 argued for an approach to teaching that sees the visual as a form of literacy so that "we acquire more than skills that rely on changing definitions and technologies but an intellectual faculty that provides the knowledge, understanding, and abilities that the visual affords" (p. 31). ...
Business and professional communicators increasingly rely on visual thinking and design strategies to create effective messages. The workplace need for such thinking, however, is not readily accommodated in current pedagogy. A long-running study abroad short course for American students taught in London provides a model for meeting this need. Addressed to students in art and design and framed through principles of discovery learning, the course approach and assignments can be productively adapted to enhance the visual competence of students of professional communication.
... Through their research in the Netherlands, van den Bosch, de Jong and Elving (2006) looked at the consistency of CVI, maintaining that too many visual cues will create an "unfocused impression" (p. 140). ...
... Even though such bodies are not typically competing for customers, their visual identity is one way they can still be recognised as of use to society. In a related paper (van den Bosch, Elving and de Jong, 2006), the authors point to the freedom that communications managers have in how they manage CVI. An important caveat pertaining to this research relates to the fact that the focus was on perceptions of CVI. ...
... There is some evidence here that the sample councils were incorporating CVI concepts into the design of their logos. With 17.2% of logos incorporating a tagline, which can be an element of CVI (van den Bosch, de Jong and Elving, 2006), it could be said that councils are considering the logo as part of CVI, and not just 'the council's logo'. However, 27% did not mention the word 'council' in their logo. ...
... Companies that focus on developing an effective image program have control over a key competitive weapon (Gray and Smeltzer, 1987), and managers mindful of their company's image cannot afford to ignore the corporate identity of the organization (van Rekom, 1997). One of the more readily identifiable features of corporate identity is the visual component that is specified in the "identity standards manual" (van den Bosch et al., 2004). This document is a guide to managing the application of the corporate identity visual system (Margulies, 1977) and is a fundamental tool for any company wishing to apply its brand in a consistent way (Margulies, 1977;Melewar et al., 2005;Olins, 1991;Regouby, 1989). ...
... More recently, van den Bosch et al. (2004) identified 11 measures an organization can take to attain a consistent visual identity. One of them is the "visual identity standards manual" or "corporate identity manual," which provides a set of rules on how to use graphics correctly and consistently in all marketing communication (Margulies, 1977;Melewar et al., 2005;Regouby, 1989;Rogers, 1997;Villafañe, 1999). ...
... The greatest difference in contents between the manuals of tangible goods companies and service companies can be found in the dimension "applications of brand." van den Bosch et al. (2006b) emphasize that open and dynamic organizations seem to use their corporate visual identity in a more consistent way than those of a closed or IMR 26,2 static nature. If, as van den Bosch et al. (2006a) claim, service companies are more open and dynamic than companies with tangible products, they will try to have a more consistent visual identity and, consequently, to use more rigid or rule-based manuals to help them attain this. ...
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to identify the key features of an identity standards manual and assess the differences in the rules used for applying the brand to both low‐ and high‐context cultures, companies selling consumer goods and those selling services, and multinational and local companies.
Design/methodology/approach
The methodology is based on the analysis of 341 identity standards manuals and on the analysis of three key features found in the manuals: contents, normative tone, and development.
Findings
The results divide the contents of the manual into two blocks: core and peripheral; and show that there are differences between the manuals of high‐ and low‐context cultures, companies selling consumer goods and those selling services, and multinational and local companies.
Research limitations/implications
Type I errors could have been introduced and the conclusions must be regarded as tentative.
Practical implications
The findings show that applying the brand at an international level requires a strategy of adaptation which takes into account the particular nature of each culture.
Originality/value
This paper contributes to the debate on standardization/adaptation of the signs of visual identity (name, logo, and color) in global marketing, by studying the rules used in applying the brand and discussion of the documents which contain them.
... Simoes et al. (2005); Melewar and Saunders (2000); Melewar et al. (2001) Consistency of CVI Our organization has formal guidelines for corporate visual elements. (2000); Van den Bosch et al. (2006a, 2006b Top Management Behavioral Leadership Our organizational manager acts as the spokesperson of the organization Stogdill (1963) Employee Identification I am glad to be a member of my company. ...
... Our organization has a recognizable brand compared to the competitors Van den Bosch et al. (2006a, 2006b Page 42 of 57 ...
Purpose – The study revisits the meaning of Corporate Identity (CI) in practice to identify its key dimensions and the interrelationships between them, and to provide insights on how to operationalize the construct.
Design/methodology/approach – This study is based on a comprehensive literature review and qualitative research consisting of 22 semi-structured interviews with senior managers from 11 UK-leading companies, and three in-depth interviews with corporate brand consultants who worked closely with these firms in cognate areas.
Findings – The study identifies six key dimensions of CI in UK industry: communication, visual identity, behavior, organizational culture, stakeholder management, and founder value-based leadership.
Research limitations/implications – The focus on UK leading companies limits the generalizability of the results. Further studies should be conducted in other sectors and country settings to examine the relationships identified in the current study.
Originality/value – This study identifies the salient dimensions of CI and, for the first time, the role of founder transformational leadership, employee identification and top management behavioral leadership as key dimensions and sub-dimensions of CI. The study also provides novel insights about the measurements for these dimensions. Additionally, this study introduces a model for the interrelationships between CI dimensions and their influence on corporate image, based on rigorous theoretical underpinnings, which lays the foundation for future empirical testing.
... The primacy of the concept of logo has attracted the attention of academic scholars and practitioners for some time. This is evident in the increase in the number of papers contributing to this discipline especially in the last two decades (Boulding, 1956;Harris, 1958;French, 1981;Anspach, 1983;Hamilton, 1983;Kotler, 1983;Bernstein, 1984;Chajet, 1984;Couretas, 1984;Keller, 1985;Dielenbach, 1986;Gray, 1986;Yarmeil, 1986;Schechter, 1995;Aaker, 1996;Stuart, 1997;van Rekom, 1997;Hendersen & Cote, 1998;Brachel, 1999;van Riel & van den Ban, 2001;de Chernatony, 2002;van den Bosch, 2006). ...
... These elements according to van den Bosch, de Jong & Elving (2005), are necessary in expressing the fundamental nature of an organization. In 2006, van den Bosch, de Jong & Elving (2006) identified architecture to also be an important element of an organization's corporate visual identity-the reason why most organizations with many branches have just one construction for their buildings irrespective of the location. (Melewar, Basset & Simoes, 2006) These elements without any iota of doubt are used by organizations to communicate to their internal and external stakeholders. ...
Notwithstanding the vast scholarly contributions to the field of corporate identity and in extension, corporatevisual identity, attempts to conceptualize the relationship between corporate logo-as an element of the corporateidentity mix-and customer perception in a wholly service context, remains absent in the literature. This led theresearchers to carry out a review of the existing literature in the areas of corporate identity and service qualitywith the aim of identifying a strong conceptual background for an emerging model defining this relationship.While the service quality literature revealed that “service responsiveness” is a critical variable for quality inservice contexts, the corporate identity literature revealed five key models which formed the basis for choosingthe constituting elements of the corporate logo construct. The emerging model was further scrutinized fortheoretical soundness located on the principles of activity theory as its theoretical foundation. The modelproposes that service responsiveness mediates the relationship between corporate logo and customer perceptionof the brand itself. Finally, the authors recommend that future research could also explore empirical validationof the conceptual model as a requirement for providing strategic direction to corporate organizations.
... Identitas visual membutuhkan konsistensi implementasi di berbagai media. Terlalu banyak variasi visual dapat mengaburkan kesan (Van Den Bosch et al., 2006). ...
Studio Muljati Ceramic Room sells various types of local ceramics of good quality. However, Ruang Keramik Studio Mulyojati does not have a brand that can give the impression of a strong character in marketing, and can bring out advantages and differences from its competitors. Therefore, this study intends to increase the selling and introduce to the foreign visitors of the Ceramic Studio Room by providing their own brand. This study used a qualitative method with a brainstorming approach and a communication approach. The data analysis used a mind-mapping data analysis. The initial stages of designing the Ruang Keamik Studio logo were done by making alternative sketches, then digitizing them using appropriate visual elements. The result of this study concluded that the concept in designing the identity of the Ceramic Studio Room was "STUDIO KERAMIC" (taking ceramics) for making and selling various ceramic models. Logos, stationery sets, promotional media, packaging, and uniforms are the media used in designing the visual identity of the ceramic studio space. Keywords: art, ceramics, identity, visual. AbstrakRuang Keramik Studio Muljati menjual berbagai macam jenis keramik lokal dengan kualitas yang tidak kalah dengan kualitas keramik dari luar negeri. Namun, dalam pemasarannya, Ruang Keramik Studio Mulyojati belum memiliki brand yang dapat memberikan kesan karakter yang kuat, serta dapat memunculkan kelebihan dan perbedaan dengan kompetitornya. Oleh karena itu, peneliti bermaksud ingin meningkatkan nilai jual dan mengenalkan ke masyarakat mancanegara mengenai Ruang Keramik Studio dengan memberikan brand tersendiri yang berbeda dengan yang lainnya. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode kualitatif dengan pendekatan brainstorming dan pendekatan komunikasi. Analisis data yang digunakan adalah analisis data mindmaping. Tahapan awal perancangan logo Ruang Keamik Studio dilakukan dengan pembuatan sketsa alternatif, kemudian proses digitalisasi dengan menggunakan elemen-elemen visual yang sesuai. Hasil yang diproleh dari penelitian ini dapat diambil kesimpulan konsep dalam mendesain identitas Ruang Keramik Studio adalah “STUDIO KERAMIK” (mengambil keramik) yang merupakan tempat pembuatan serta penjualan berbagai model keramik. Logo, stationery set, media promosi, packaging, dan seragam merupakan media yang digunakan dalam mendesain identitas visual ruang studio keramik.Kata Kunci: seni, keramik, identitas, visual. Authors: Muhammad Redintan Justin : Institut Informatika dan Bisnis DarmajayaRohiman : Institut Informatika dan Bisnis DarmajayaAbdi Darmawan : Institut Informatika dan Bisnis Darmajaya References: Christine Suharto Cenadi. (1999). Corporate Identity Sejarah Dan Aplikasinya. Nirmana, 1(2), 71–78. Davison, J. (2009). 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Model Bimbingan Kelompok dengan Teknik Brainstorming Untuk Meningkatkan Komunikasi Interpersonal Siswa. Jurnal Bimbingan Konseling, 5(1), 1–7. Listya, A., Junianto, R., & Mirta, M. (2019). Studi Kemiripan Logo Dua Perusahaan: Gtv Dan Google. Jurnal Dimensi DKV Seni Rupa Dan Desain, 4(1), 33–46. Nurabdiansyah, S. (2019). Penciptaan Logotype “Unm” Sebagai Identitas Visual Dalam Rangka Penyusunan Graphic Standard Manual Universitas Negeri Makassar. Universitas Negeri Malang ISoLEC Proceedings, 225–234. Nurhadi, Z. F. (2015). Brand Dalam Komunikasi Pemasaran. Komunikasi Volume 1 No.1 April 2015, 1(1), 44–61.Perry, A., & Wisnom, D. (2003). Before the brand: Creating the unique DNA of an enduring brand identity. McGraw Hill Professional.Rohiman, R. (2017). Kajian Ikonografi Pada Makam Raja-Raja Mataram Islam Di Kotagede Yogyakarta. Corak, 6(2).Rustan, S. (2009). Mendesain Logo. PT Gramedia Pustaka Utama.Tri, D., Graha, R., Waloejo, B. S., & Wicaksono, A. D. (2016). Perencanaan strategis industri kreatif sektor desain grafis kota malang aktor pemerintah dinas perindustrian. Tata Kota Dan Daerah, XVIII(2), 84–85.Van Den Bosch, A. L. M., De Jong, M. D. T., & Elving, W. J. L. (2006). Managing corporate visual identity: Exploring the differences between manufacturing and service, and profit-making and nonprofit organizations. Journal of Business Communication, 43(2), 138–157. Walker, & Piliang. (2010). Desain, Sejarah, Budaya: Sebuah pengantar komprehensif. Jakarta: Jalasutra.
... A system, such as the one proposed by Joplin, existed across the border in Scotland (Checkland 1975;Munn 1980). There were good reasons to argue that the English banking system should imitate the Scottish, as Scottish banks had not suffered as much as the English in the 1825/6 crisis (Neal 1998;Turner 2014). It remains a subject of debate and it is not clear whether the legal position of the Scottish banking system was the reason for its stability (Acheson, Hickson, and Turner 2011;Freeman, Pearson, and Taylor 2013). ...
Financial instruments are the subject of considerable interest. The supply of promissory notes has attracted the attention of financial historians, political economists and antiquarians, alike. We consider bank notes as a mechanism for building corporate identity. The article focuses on the bank notes that were issued in the early nineteenth century by newly established joint stock banks in the English provinces. Despite not having a legal personality, which could be separated from the bank’s owners, the banks did not use symbols of the owners, such as family crests or other personal means, to communicate their identity. The article shows that these notes displayed symbols of a collective culture and regional identity. We argue that this was crucial to building the bank’s position within the local commercial community and in generating a persona which customers could trust.
... Er is collectief een positieve bereidheid voor een gezamenlijke visualisatie. Uit de literatuurstudie blijkt dat juist voor overheidsorganisaties de visualisatie een manier is om als maatschappelijk nuttig herkenbaar te zijn (Van den Bosch, De Jong, & Elving, 2006). Dezelfde visualisatie levert schaalvoordelen op, draagt bij aan een consistente merkbeleving en het ontwikkelen van voorkeur en vertrouwen. ...
Onderzoek naar de mogelijkheid van één GGD-merk. De GGD is een inside-out corporate merk. Voor het onderzoek is daarom gekeken naar de identiteitskenmerken van de 25 GGD'en om te onderzoeken of er voldoende basis is voor één gemeenschappelijk merk. Vervolgens is met behulp van een Delphi-methode onderzoek gekeken of er op directieniveau voldoende draagvlak is voor één GGD-merk.
Research to the possibility of óne GGD brand. While GGD is an inside-out corporate brand the research started by investigating if there is sufficient common ground in the 25 divers identities of the 25 GGD-organisations. Next the research focussed -with a Dephi-method- on researching if there is sufficient widespread support on board level for one GGD-brand.
... This dimension relates to all five human senses, comprising sight, sound, scent, taste and touch, which aim to create the brand identity (Schmitt, 1999). Based on the content analysis, the present study finds that at the corporate brand level, sensory experience comprises specific components, namely, corporate name, slogan, logo, color and design, the combination of which is named as corporate visual identity (Balmer, 1995;Balmer & Gray, 2003;Melewar & Jenkins, 2002;Melewar & Karaosmanoglu, 2006;Van den Bosch, De Jong, & Elving, 2006). Most participants assert that these components make a bank's website distinct from that of its competitors. ...
... For example, nearly all of the websites in this sample relied on a logo. Logos have long been a central component to corporate visual identity (van den Bosch, de Jong, & Elving, 2006). A strong visual identity has been said to provide increased visibility and greater recognisability (Balmer & Gray, 2000), whereas a weak visual identity has suggested dysfunction within a corporation (Baker & Balmer, 1997). ...
While largely overlooked in mass communication research, visual imagery is central to how organizations represent, make meaning, create identities, and communicate with the rest of the world (Messaris, 1994). This research explores visual differences between alternative and mainstream news sites along the conceptual categorization of deviance. More deviant groups have historically represented themselves through alternative media with themes of confrontation and challenge, often through violent or sexualized imagery (Ray & Marsh II, 2001). However, that might not still be the case in an online environment where the whole world is watching and the omnipresent ideology of capitalism may influence the commercialism and professionalisation of media messages.
... background music, jingles, sonic logos) (Lindstrom 2005) and has received some attention in anecdotal literature (e.g. sonic logo of Intel © ) (Jackson 2003;Treasure 2007). However, the auditory dimension so far has been widely neglected in academic research, resulting in a palpable gap in academic literature. ...
The paper aims to reduce existing gap and extent knowledge in Georgia by determining group of factors influencing brand`s loyalty . Investigation reveled that Georgian consumer actively consumes the different types of the foreign brands , but index of loyalty is not high. Majority of consumer `s in the process of buy -decisions pay attention on the brand's country of origin. Investigation argues that consumer attitude toward foreign brands facilitate motivation of entrepreneurs to promote local brands.
... From an explicit design perspective, some corporate identity scholars are mindful of the integrated corporate design provenance of the corporate identity territory concept (Balmer, 1995, 2008) and note the importance of corporate visual identity (Baker & Balmer, 1997; Melewar & Saunders, 2000, Melewar, Saunders & Balmer, 2001; van den Bosch, Elving & de Jong, 2006). ...
This article advances the theoretical and instrumental understanding of corporate heritage identities. This exploratory, empirical study focuses on both the nature and the relevance of corporate heritage identity as employed by managers for corporate identity management purposes. The research is undertaken within Britain's oldest brewery – one of the oldest corporate entities in Great Britain with a provenance spanning many centuries – and utilizes a qualitative and theory building case study. The research reveals two classes of management responsibilities vis-à-vis corporate heritage identity management, namely corporate heritage management activities and corporate heritage implementation strategies, which follow a particular corporate heritage identity implementation pattern identified. A normative framework synthesizes and marshals the findings. The empirical study provides insight into corporate heritage identity management and is potentially useful to both scholars and practitioners. This study advances the nascent area of corporate heritage identity management by providing empirical and theoretical insight into the salience and strategic relevance of corporate heritage identity as a resource for corporate marketing. The article provides a normative framework of actionable categories of activities related to the management and implementation of substantive corporate heritage identity dimensions.
... De manera específica, los resultados han mostrado que la gestión de los elementos visuales tiene un impacto en el atractivo de la marca corporativa. Estos resultados están en línea con lo obtenido en otros trabajos como el de Van den Bosch et al. (2006), en el que se destacaba la especial importancia de estos elementos en los servicios, y su papel para favorecer la identificación de los grupos de interés con la organización. El comportamiento corporativo también resulta determinante del atractivo. ...
The main aim of this study is to analyse the effects of corporate identity management in higher education. Specifically, to study the perceptions that teaching staff may have about its management, as well as to analyse the effects on their attitudes and behaviour. An online survey aimed at the teaching faculty of different public universities in Spain was carried out, and the data was analysed using structural equation modelling. The results gathered suggest that a suitable management of the key elements of corporate identity (visual identity, communications, behaviour and corporate culture) contributes to the creation of an attractive identity for the University. In turn, this attractive identity will lead faculty staff to feel more identified with the University, and to more positive attitudes and behaviours towards the University. However, not all the elements have the same effects. The results obtained may advance the academic literature of corporate identity and also contribute for the managerial practice of these institutions.
... Organisational founders are often referred to as value-based leaders who set the organisational vision and shape CI through their impact on organisational culture, especially small-and medium-sized corporations (Brexendorf and Kernstock, 2007). This positively impacts organisational identification, increases the intrinsic valence of goal accomplishment and influences alignment of individual behaviours alongside corporate brand identity (Vallaster and de Chernatony, 2006). Although the founder's importance is commonly associated with corporate history, it is acknowledged that the founders' principles often remain an important part of an organisations' identity. ...
This paper undertakes a detailed review of the components of corporate identity (CI). This is necessitated by the recent emergence and focus upon CI and its frequent confusion with related issues such as corporate branding and reputation. We begin by defining the boundaries of CI, exploring its nature and meaning, and outlining theoretical perspectives in Part One. Part Two then focuses upon five theoretical frameworks. Amalgamating these into a model will assist researchers in knowing the area of CI they are focused upon and its interactions with contiguous domains. Each area can then develop its own usable repeatable scales which are capable of testing and of falsification. Interactions can be empirically analysed more robustly by the use of structured equation modelling. The outcomes of the model can be used by academics and practitioners to move the CI discipline forward.
... Nearly all of the websites in this sample relied on a logo. Logos have long been a central component to corporate visual identity (van den Bosch, de Jong, and Elving 2006). A strong visual identity has been said to provide increased visibility and greater recognizability (Balmer and Gray 2000), whereas a weak visual identity has suggested dysfunction within a corporation (Baker and Balmer 1997). ...
Visual imagery, while largely overlooked in mass communication research, is central to how organizations represent themselves, make meaning, create identities, and communicate with the rest of the world. This research explores visual differences between alternative and mainstream news websites along the conceptual categorization of deviance. More deviant groups have historically represented themselves through alternative media with themes of confrontation and challenge, often through violent or sexualized imagery. However, online communication is now largely commercialized and commodified in order to professionalize a consumerist aesthetic that can attract mass audiences and return a profit. This research explores the visual communication of both alternative and mainstream media in an online environment where the whole world is watching.
This paper describes a study of a training film about business presentations, Making Your Case. We offer this historical study in the context of a broader claim, arguing that (as part of a “visual turn”) business communication scholars should give more attention to film. We propose that scholars should develop conceptual perspectives and tools appropriate to the study of film as business communication, including an array of genres based on sponsorship and purpose. We develop one specific example, the genre of the readymade training film (RTF) and apply it to Making Your Case.
This thesis studies web homepages to understand the complex social practice of organizational identity communication on a digital medium. It examines how designs of web homepages realize discourses of identity through the mobilization and orchestration of various semiotic resources into multimodal ensembles, addressing critical organizational visual identity elements (‘logo,’ ‘corporate name,’ ‘color,’ ‘typography,’ ‘graphic shapes,’ and ‘images’), communicative content of the page, and navigation structures. By examining these three ‘strata’ of organizational identity communication, it investigates how a homepage uses formal design elements and more abstract principles of composition, such as spatial positioning and content ordering, as resources for making meaning.
The data consists of three complementary sets drawn from thirty-nine web homepages of Australian university websites in 2020. Data set #1 includes four homepages for an in-depth study of organizational identity designs; data set #2 consists of 400 images from the ‘above the fold’ web area as the most strategic space on four homepages between the years 2015 and 2021; data set #3 is comprised of eight historical versions of a selected web homepage between the years 2000 and 2021, with three most representative designs for an in-depth investigation. Grounded in the discourse-analytic approach informed by multimodal social semiotics, the thesis adopts a mixed-method approach to data analysis. It applies multimodal discourse analysis combining the Genre and Multimodality model (Bateman, 2008; Bateman et al., 2017) to document the structural design patterns and social semiotic (metafunctional) approach to address the meaning potentials of the identified patterns; (Kress & van Leeuwen, 2021); content analysis (Bell, 2001; Rose, 2016) and visual social actor framework (van Leeuwen, 2008) to identify key representational tropes and visual personae.
The study reveals the role of design as a mediating tool between the participants of discourse – the rhetor-institution/designer and envisaged audiences – and offers systematic insights into the uses of semiotic resources, both material (e.g., formal design elements and navigation structures) and nonmaterial (e.g., spatial considerations and content structuring), all contributing to the production of meanings and fostering identification with such meanings in the form of association with the university’s identity. Addressing the subtle differences and shifts in the form and function of key layout structures and strategies of viewer engagement, the study concludes that is plural – each university constantly revises semiotic choices and their multimodal composition to achieve specific rhetorical purposes. Together with several visual design choices, five identified strategies of viewer engagement – proximation, alignment, equalization, objectivation, and subjectivation – promote the university as a place of opportunity, achievement, sociality, and intellectual growth for a student as an individual and as a member of the community.
The current research contributes to the emerging collaboration between multimodality, organization studies, and branding, recognizing the complexities and importance of multimodal communication in web-mediated texts amidst the critically increased roles of marketization and social presence in the current higher education landscape.
Günümüzde iletişim teknolojilerinde hızlı bir değişim yaşanmaktadır. İletişim teknolojilerinin gelişmesiyle birlikte bireyler ve kurumlar sosyal medya araçlarını daha sık kullanmaya başlamıştır. Bu durum, varlığı bağışlara dayanan kâr amacı gütmeyen organizasyonlar için de hem bireyleri bir araya getirebilme hem de etkileşimi artırması bakımından önem taşımaktadır. Bu araştırmanın amacı; çevreci sivil toplum kuruluşlarının Instagram uygulamasında kurum kimliğinin hangi unsurlarını daha çok yansıttıklarını incelemektir. Bu amaç doğrultusunda ülkemizde faaliyet gösteren ve ön planda olan 10 çevreci sivil toplum kuruluşunun Instagram hesabı, 30 Eylül – 30 Aralık 2021 tarihleri arasında üç aylık bir periyod içinde incelemeye alınmıştır. Veri elde edilebilen 7 çevreci sivil toplum kuruluşunun kimlik ve imaj bileşenlerine ait bilgiler içerik analizi yöntemiyle elde edilmiş ve betimleyici araştırma modeli kapsamında yorumlanmıştır. Araştırma bulgularından elde edilen sonuçlara göre; kurum kimliği bileşenlerinin yansıtılması yönünden eksiklikler olduğu görülmüştür. Çevreci sivil toplum kuruluşlarının Instagram hesaplarında en az bilgi paylaşımında bulundukları unsurun, kurumsal felsefe bileşenlerine yönelik olduğu saptanmıştır. Kurumsal felsefe unsurundan sonra, kurumsal davranış bileşenleri de az yansıtılan unsurlardan biri olarak göze çarpmaktadır. Çevreci sivil toplum kuruluşlarının kurumsal iletişim ve tasarım bileşenlerine yönelik çoğu bilgiye ise hesaplarında yer verdikleri görülmüştür. Elde edilen veriler değerlendirildiğinde, iletişim sürecinin daha etkin bir şekilde gerçekleştirilebilmesi ve olumlu bir imaj yaratılabilmesi açısından, kurum kimliği unsurlarının tamamının dikkate alınarak geliştirilmesi gerektiği sonucuna ulaşılmıştır.
A logo is worth more than a thousand words. But how much are thousands of logos worth? Contemporary visual communication toolkit of companies and brands is becoming more and more technology-driven and extended by Dynamic Visual Identity (DVI) systems. Algorithmic, data-based, interactive DVIs promise unprecedented opportunities to brands and pose new challenges for designers and marketers. This paper explores the characteristics of generative type digital dynamic visual identities with the aim of stimulating interdisciplinary discourse and scientific examination at this frontier of marketing and design. The current study applied qualitative inquiry to a curated sample of contemporary visual systems designed after 2013. By using content analysis and the designcommunication (DIS:CO) approach the authors identified three dimensions that are suitable for the examination, and development of DVI cases regardless of the industry, technology and media used. Explanations are illustrated by the award-winning DVIs of world-renowned agencies such as Pentagram, Saffron, and Lava.
Purpose
Performance-driven culture has received extensive attention from both academics and practitioners because of its impact on organisations’ performance. Employees’ tacit knowledge about performance-driven culture is pivotal to identify, as it contributes to increasing the organisation’s performance. With the aim of enriching ongoing debate in human resources and knowledge management research, this paper proposes a conceptual model for emancipating and investigating the main factors of employees’ tacit knowledge that shape and affect performance-driven culture of a Saudi Arabian organisation.
Design/methodology/approach
The validity of the conceptual model is examined through a qualitative study developed using a thematic analysis of 134 employees’ unbridged computerised typewritten comments about organisation’s performance-driven culture.
Findings
Findings confirm the utility of conceptual models in explaining and categorising employees’ emancipated tacit knowledge, providing a potential contribution to academics and practitioners interested in developing managerial processes for improving organisation’s performance-driven culture.
Originality/value
Both the conceptual reflections and empirical-based evidence herein enrich ongoing debate in the area of human resources and knowledge management about employees’ tacit knowledge and performance-driven culture.
El manual de identidad visual es el documento que regula el uso de la marca y toda empresa que desee gestionar eficazmente su identidad visual debería disponer de uno. Esto también se extiende al caso de las ONGs, sector donde la marca se ha convertido en algo fundamental. Este trabajo recoge, mediante entrevistas en profundidad, las percepciones de 16 profesionales del sector gráfico acerca de la utilidad, formato y contenidos del manual y su aplicación concreta a las marcas de las ONGs: contenidos, gestión y diferencias con respecto a otros sectores.
p> Abstract
Logo Similarity Study of Two Companies: GTV and Google. GTV (Global TV) is one of private TV station in Indonesia under management of PT. Media Nusantara Citra Tbk (MNC group). In 2017, GTV (Global TV) changed its logo with an iconic G but cause the perception of netizens that it was similar to Google. Although GTV area of business is different from Google, which is GTV in entertainment television media and Google in information technology area, the similarity of logos will be an obstacle of GTV brand image as private television station in Indonesia. The aim of the research
is to find out how is the similarities, and what underlies GTV so that they redesign the logo which similar to Google. This study uses descriptive qualitative research method with aesthetic and marketing science approaches. The results showed the similarities located on the letter G of the GTV’s does’nt seem to mean intentionally imitate the letter G of Google’s because it turned out long before the Google logo established,
formalistic aspects of the GTV logo were already existed on the past logo. The GTV logo appearance has relevance to what are underlying the logo redesign. However, the similarity between them where Google is a global company which larger than GTV seems to be affected GTV images.
Abstrak
Studi Kemiripan Logo Dua Perusahaan: GTV dan Google. GTV (Global TV)
merupakan salah satu stasiun TV swasta di Indonesia di bawah PT. Media Nusantara
Citra Tbk (MNC group). GTV mengganti logonya di awal tahun 2017 dengan G yang ikonik namun menimbulkan persepsi beberapa warganet bahwa logonya mirip dengan Google. Meski area bisnis GTV berbeda dengan Google di mana GTV bergerak di bidang hiburan pada televisi dan Google dalam dunia teknologi informasi, namun kemiripan logo menjadi kendala bagi citra brand GTV sebagai stasiun televisi swasta besar di
Indonesia. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui bagaimana kemiripan desain logo kedua perusahaan itu, dan apa yang mendasari GTV melakukan perubahan logo yang hasilnya mirip dengan Google. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode penelitian kualitatif deskriptif dengan pendekatan estetika dan pendekatan ilmu pemasaran. Hasil
penelitian menunjukkan kemiripan logo yang terletak pada huruf G logo GTV dengan huruf G pada logo Google nampaknya bukan bermaksud menyengaja untuk meniru karena ternyata jauh sebelum logo Google muncul, aspek formalistik desain logo GTV sudah ada pada logo lamanya. Tampilan logonya juga mempunyai keterkaitan dengan
apa yang melatarbelakangi pergantian logonya. Namun begitu, kemiripan logo GTV dengan Google yang merupakan brand yang besar dan mendunia nampaknya dapat mempengaruhi citra brand GTV.</p
La utilización incorrecta de la marca conlleva una actitud desfavorable hacia la empresa por lo que toda organización debe vigilar su uso. Esta investigación estudia cómo 49 ONG españolas usan su marca como imagen de perfil en redes sociales. Los errores encontrados son posteriormente evaluados por seis expertos mediante una dinámica de grupo. Los resultados muestran fallos de coordinación entre las distintas redes sociales y errores técnicos (marca cortada, pixelada, textos ilegibles). Posibles soluciones serían crear una marca destinada a utilizarse como foto de perfil y designar a un encargado de vigilar la aplicación de la marca.
Purpose
This study attempts to ascertain the essential dimensions and components of university brand image, including the cognitive attributes (service/educational quality) and affective attributes (corporate brand image) of the university.
Design/methodology/approach
The study develops, explores and presents a student-consumer behavioral response model based on students’ experiences at university, exploring the relationship between these attributes with satisfaction and behavioral response [word-of-mouth (WOM)].
Findings
Findings reveal that both branding aspects – brand experience and corporate brand image – follow a rational thought process first before an affective component is then taken into account, resulting in brand promise and loyalty. The study identifies several important cognitive brand image attributes and experiences that guide brand positioning for the Malaysian market, linking these to satisfaction and WOM.
Research limitations/implications
It was conducted in a single case-university and future research could replicate this in other schools/institutions. Cross-validation to other private institutions lies outside the scope of this study. Furthermore, although the study has identified specific attributes of university brands, they tend to be seen or interpreted as overall for both brand experiences and corporate brand image attributes because of the reflective nature of the construct, and also they tend to be seen as higher order rather than at individual levels. Further research is needed to analyze these dimensions using a quantitative approach at individual levels and testing the conceptual model as presented in the conceptual model. The study is focused on one Asian market (Malaysian students in X University) chosen for its potential growth in the future.
Practical implications
The present study contributes to the identification of specific students’ needs and attributes including courses and modules, reputable schools, the environment (e.g. campus – near to lecturer, international), helpful lecturers and the university location. Addressing the right brand attributes enhance and clarify the positioning aspect of the university brand, while simultaneously addressing the needs and wants of consumers. For example, by understanding the culture – consumer buying behavior within this setting, marketers or school administrators can identify exactly, which behaviors could be changed and by which mechanism i.e. talking to sponsors, and introducing activities to increase visibility/image in Malaysia. Interacting with sponsors can influence them toward sending students to X instead of to other universities in the UK.
Originality/value
The study contributes to theoretical knowledge in at least two different ways: by identifying possible corporate brand image attributes and experience that guide brand positioning (for the Malaysian market), and by exploring the relationship between these attributes and satisfaction and behavioral response (WOM) as proposed in the study’s conceptual framework. The study has identified the specific attributes that influence Malaysian students’ early interest in selecting X University via, for example, a recommendation from existing students at X, their sponsors, employers, the courses or modules X offers and location – in London. The study further revealed that corporate brand image attributes of business schools (cognitively and effectively) enhance corporate brand differentiation and positioning (Rauschnabel et al., 2016).
This paper extends the current knowledge of corporate website favourability (CWF) by developing a comprehensive conceptual model of its influence on corporate image, corporate reputation, loyalty and identification. The paper reviews previous studies on corporate websites from the perspectives of marketing, management, corporate identity and corporate visual identity in order to inform our understanding of the antecedents and consequences of CWF. The propositions and the conceptual framework present an approach by which a corporation can design and manage a favourable corporate website. A number of important contributions are offered: first, the paper adds to the understanding of CWF; second, it discusses the antecedents of CWF by drawing upon the existing literature; third, it is beneficial for practitioners in shaping CWF strategies and fourth, it offers possible consequences of CWF and provides a framework for future testing.
Logos as a visual cue can help firms communicate their unique identities and capture consumers’ attention. Despite the importance and prevalent use of logos, the logo literature remains fragmented. Hence, this article attempts to provide an overarching research framework based on an extensive and comprehensive review of the existing logo literature. Specifically, we review 124 studies published in business journals over the past 30 years, and classify them into six major research topics: 1) theoretical foundations, 2) logo design/redesign, 3) basic logo elements, 4) additional logo elements, 5) outcomes of logo use, and 6) practical applications of logo use. Finally, we suggest future research directions for academics and provide practitioners with guidelines that help manage logos for their businesses.
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to conceptually and empirically explore and challenge the dogma of Corporate visual identity (CVI) consistency. The goal is to nuance the current polarized debate of consistency or no consistency.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative research strategy is employed in this paper. Specifically, the empirical work rests on an interview study with strategists from ten different CVI agencies. The interview transcripts are analyzed using template analysis.
Findings
In terms of findings, both empirical and conceptual arguments for and against CVI consistency are presented. Many of these arguments rest on conflicting assumptions of CVI communication, CVI authenticity and CVI management, which all influence the debate of CVI consistency.
Practical implications
CVI practitioners are presented with a more reflective approach to dealing with consistency and hands on examples for inspiration.
Originality/value
This paper offers alternative and more nuanced conceptualizations of CVI consistency. This includes seeing consistency and inconsistency as ends of a spectrum to be balanced rather than mutually exclusive and by differentiating between consistency across platforms and consistency over time – coined CVI continuity. Furthermore, several future research areas that can help to further develop the field of CVI are suggested.
The arrival of social media has created a multitude of ways the organization can develop and disseminate its corporate identity. This study explores the relationship between social media and corporate identity by breaking social media use into five stages and discussing what each stage can reveal and add to our knowledge of corporate identity. A framework is provided that can aid scholars and practitioners in gaining a greater understanding of what social media can do for corporate identity. The main implications for researchers and managers/policy makers are highlighted.
Corporate Identity (CI) und Corporate Design (CD) stehen in einer spannungsgeladenen Beziehung zueinander. CD war in der Anfangsphase der CI-Diskussion das, was letztlich mit dem Schlagwort CI in Verbindung gebracht wurde (vgl. Antonoff, 1983). Im weiteren Verlauf der CI-Diskussion wurde der „CD-zentrierte Ansatz“ zunächst durch das Plädoyer für einen integrierten Kommunikationsansatz abgelöst, der ein ganzheitliches „CI-Mix“ in den Mittelpunkt stellt (vgl. Birkigt/Stadler, 1980). In einer dritten Entwicklungsstufe fand CI dann eine Akzentuierung als umfassendes Managementkonzept statt, bei dem u.a. die Entwicklung der Unternehmenskultur einen wichtigen Stellenwert einnimmt (vgl. Wiedmann, 2007a). Insgesamt lässt sich über die einzelnen Entwicklungsstufen ein deutlicher relativer Bedeutungsverlust von CD als konstitutivem Merkmal von CI und CI-Management feststellen.
Jelen cikk a szervezeti identitás különböző tudományos értelmezéseit, elemeit mutatja be és kapcsolja össze a gyakorlattal. A szerzők értelmezése szerint a szervezeti identitás nem azonos a köznyelvben elterjedt
arculattal (sem image-zsal), hanem egy holisztikus, menedzsment-szakirodalmakon átívelő fogalomként
értelmezhető, mely a külső tényezők hatására a szervezeti kultúra és a szervezeti stratégia alapján alakítható
ki. A szervezeti identitás három alkotóelem-csoportból áll (nevezhetjük ezt identitásmixnek is): a munkáltatói
márkázásból, az integrált marketingkommunikációból és a vizuális identitásból. Mivel a változó
környezet szükségessé teszi, a szervezeti identitás menedzselése egy véget nem érő „spirálfolyamat”, mely a
felmérés, a meghatározás, a bevezetés és értékelés szakaszok ismétléséből áll addig, amíg az ideális identitás
ki nem alakul. Melyet talán soha nem ér el a vállalat. _____ In this article the different scientific interpretations and elements of organizational identity are presented and combined with practice. According to the authors’ interpretation the organizational identity is not the same as the corporate image, but it can be interpreted as a holistic management literatures panning notion which can be formed by the effect
of external factors on basis of the organizational culture and organizational strategy. The organizational identity consists of three component-groups (also called this identity mix) the employer branding, integrated marketingcommunications and visual identity. Due to the changing environment makes it necessary the management of organizational identity is a never-ending ”spiral process”, which consists of repetitions of the survey, the definition, the introduction and the assessment phases until the ideal identity will be
formed. Which may be never achieved by the corporate.
Purpose
This paper applies the B2B Service Brand Identity Scale (SBI) to empirically assess the influence of service brand identity on brand performance for the first time.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on data collected from 421 senior marketing executives this paper applies the B2B Service Brand Identity Scale (SBI) and structural equation modeling to fulfill the above purpose.
Findings
Brand personality and human resource initiatives have a positive and significant influence on brand performance. Corporate visual identity, in addition to an employee and client focus, have an insignificant impact on performance. Consistent communications have a negative and significant influence on brand performance.
Research limitations/implications
Data was only collected from executives in the UK. This research would benefit from replicative studies.
Practical implications
This research empirically establishes the brand management activities that drive brand performance.
Originality/value
This is the first empirical study to assess the influence service brand identity has on brand performance.
Corporate identity is a set of individual characteristics of a corporation. It should be managed and maintained, as well as changed if necessary. To have positive perceptions of a corporate identity among external audiences, a consensus about internal perceptions of corporate identity should be achieved. The paper presents the result of the research of managers' and employees' perception of a corporate identity, especially of internal communications as its component. Presumption about equal perceptions of corporate identity among managers and employees is not confirmed, since there are some statistically significant differences among them. The managers and employees articulate similar perceptions about visual elements of a corporate identity, its structure, and industry position, while in perceptions of internal communications managers and employees differ in their perceptions.
Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to investigate and analyze company slogans which play an important role in corporate identity and corporate communications.
Design/methodology/approach
– By discussing relevant literature, morphological issues (word formation in sentences), and content analysis, the study investigates 329 companies and their slogans that operate in global and domestic markets.
Findings
– The study finds that within the areas of corporate identity and corporate communications, company slogans tend to be diverse with distinct forms and morphological features. The work reveals that slogans go through evolutionary changes because of diverse markets and firms’ corporate communications and corporate identities. The study also compares and contrasts slogans from 2007 to 2013 which were used by the firms on their web sites.
Practical implications
– Interestingly, over half of the companies did not keep their slogans in 2012/2013. Many firms have stopped using slogans on their corporate web sites and systematically capitalize on brands and corporate identities when dealing with the areas of corporate communications. This supports the notion that slogans help corporate identity and corporate communications.
Originality/value
– The paper’s original value added is in the areas of corporate communications, slogans, and corporate identity.
Sensory dimensions of corporate identity such as auditory identity are nearly absent in academic literature so far. This paper addresses this shortage by presenting qualitative findings from interviews with brand consultants and managers on the nascent topic of auditory identity. Findings include, inter alia, strong support for the construct definition of auditory identity as proposed in this paper. Moreover, factors driving corporate auditory identity management at an organisation are examined. Furthermore, based on the conceptual similarity between visual and auditory identity consequences as perceived by managers are discussed. Moreover, findings addressing type of company, type of business and industry sector are presented. Finally, findings advocating corporate auditory identity as a valid ingredient of corporate identity management are presented and academic and managerial implications are given.
The relationship between service quality and customer loyalty is a vastly researched marketing phenomena which have been assessed and established across different industries. Service quality plays a prominent role in determining customers’ status of loyalty (Boulding et al., J Mark Res 30:7–27, 1993; Parasuraman et al., J Retail 67:420–450, 1991; Zeithaml et al., J Mark 60:31–46, 1996) as it is the primary factor that affects chances of customers’ revisit or repurchase from the company. Being a significant contributor in customer loyalty formation, service quality also gets influenced by certain other factors which exert moderate effects on its relationship with customer loyalty. The present study intends to expose the service quality–customer loyalty relationship in life insurance industry and offers further insights into the aforementioned relationship by assessing the moderating influences of trust, commitment, corporate image and switching costs, the variables that the literature established as important factors in determining customer loyalty. A research model encompassing the direct association of service quality with customer loyalty and the possible moderating variables whose presence affects this association is proposed and empirically tested on the basis of responses from life insurance customers.
Present-day South Africa is characterised by many societal and developmental issues, such as HIV awareness and prevention, child-headed households, environmental protection, poverty alleviation, violence and victim aid. However, it is widely acknowledged that government alone cannot address these issues effectively. The role of non-profit organisations (NPOs) in addressing social and development issues is increasingly emphasised. NPOs work at grass-roots level and they can therefore, on the whole, identify societal vulnerabilities and risks earlier than the government sector. However, due to the economic recession, NPOs operate in a competitive environment where an increasing number of NPOs rely on a small number of donors and other resources. NPOs should therefore differentiate themselves from the competition in order to obtain public legitimacy and funding. Corporate identity management is important for NPOs to fulfil their role in social welfare and thus contribute to disaster risk reduction. The exploratory nature of this study dictates a qualitative research approach. Semi-structured interviews with management of five NPOs in the social welfare sector were conducted in order to provide an answer to the study's research question: 'To what extent do NPOs in the social welfare sector practise corporate identity management, in order to prevent and address social welfare risks?' The research found that NPOs do not realise the full potential of managing their corporate identities. NPOs therefore do not take advantage of a strong and distinct corporate identity which would allow them to ensure their ability to assess, address, reduce and/or alleviate vulnerabilities and disaster risks.
South Africa's post-apartheid governments have made remarkable progress in consolidating the nation's peaceful transition to democracy, but many South Africans still view themselves and each other according to stigmatizing categories. As the country's remarkable and peaceful transition to democracy unfolds, millions, both urban and rural, are still confronted with having to survive unemployment, homelessness, lack of basic services, HIV/Aids, food insecurity and unacceptable levels of crime and violence. Confronted by the complexity of our development challenges, one of our biggest failures is a lack of communication, trust, common purpose, collaborative leadership and sustainable relationships between the various sectors and stakeholders in development. Transforming South Africa's society to remove the legacy of marginalization will be a long-term process requiring the sustained commitment of the leaders and people of the nation's diverse groups. So the question remains: how can non-profit organizations (NPOs) establish themselves as development providers within the uncertain political arena, of which South Africa is characteristic, in order to represent all the masses who cannot speak for themselves and more than often find themselves in a marginalized and stigmatized position?
The main purpose of this dissertation consists in the determination of the constituent parts of the value-based family enterprise culture from the family perspective. Use of the value-based approach and family perspective is mainly explained by the cultural, historical, and socio-economic preconditions of the modern society.
Six interconnected studies consider the elements, factors, and characteristics of the family enterprise culture by means of the quantitative and qualitative methods applying the wide historical and contemporary primary and secondary data collected by the author in the academic libraries and archives of Finland and Russia as well as during the interviews with the current family business owners. However, it should be noted that conclusions and recommendations made in the dissertation can be to some extent applied irrespective of the national or cultural aspects.
The main results and contributions of the dissertation are fundamentals and zones of the owners’ responsibility in the inter-generational family business from the legal-economic perspective, key culture-specific resources of family business dynasties, elements of the cross-generational family business corporate identity, factors of the family values’ continuity in Russian families, inter-generational value shift, and concepts of the family business good and entre-pology of family-owned businesses.
In addition to the main results, the dissertation deals with the issues of social development, socio-economic, historical, and cultural preconditions of the re-creation of the family enterprise culture in Russian society.
A new epoch of the economic and political development of Russia gave rise to a great number of family-owned enterprises. However, despite the settled rules, norms, and values of the family business ownership widely-spread in Europe and USA, the Russian society experienced a seventy-year gap in private entrepreneurship and family business ownership in the Soviet period. Therefore issues of building and re-creating family enterprise culture under the modern conditions are given the top priority in this dissertation.
Key words: family; family enterprise culture; family values; Finland; multi-generational family business; Russia;
This study compares the annual report letters written by the CEOs of 30 U.S.-based companies and 24 Latin American—based companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Using a grounded theory approach, the authors thematically analyzed both sets of letters to ascertain common topics, stylistic (writing) features, and embedded cultural attributes. They found that although both sets of letters share much regulatory and financial information, the Latin American letters are characterized by a richer mix of topics, a more complex writing style, and evidence of cultural dimensions as conceptualized by the research of scholars such as Geert Hofstede and Edward T. Hall. Their work is founded on the belief that corporate documents exist to communicate more than factual information to their constituencies. Rather, the purpose of corporate writers is to influence public opinion and attitudes, particularly among potential investors, in ways that create support for organizational practices or undermine opposition to them.
Branding of universities is an area that is growing in importance as competition between universities increases and creates an imperative for strong brand positioning and visual identity as the basis for differentiation. In this context, this paper describes the process by which the California State University (CSU), a major, multi-campus public university system developed a corporate visual identity system and analyzes the key issues in developing this system, as well as the key challenges ahead.
Copyright
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to propose a method by which to audit winemakers' communication of regional wine brands and to illustrate the method's conceptual basis through its empirical application to the Swiss wine Merlot Ticino.
Design/methodology/approach
The audit is comprised of two parts: one captures producers' intentions regarding the communication of the regional wine brand while the other determines what wineries actually convey through their formal communications. Data about intentions were collected through qualitative interviews and a survey of producers, while data on what wineries convey was based on a content analysis of wineries' communication materials.
Findings
The application of the audit to the brand Merlot Ticino shows that the proposed method provides several insights into the brand's personality, possible gaps between producers' intentions and actual communications, the potential target of the communication, the level of consistency of communication content and style, and the expressiveness of wineries in communicating the regional wine brands.
Research limitations/implications
The content analysis adopted in this research focuses on formal communications issued by wineries. Adding oral contents and consumer perceptions would considerably improve the audit tool.
Originality/value
This paper provides winemaking regions with a useful tool with which to determine the effectiveness of their brand projections in the collective promotion of their regional wine brands. The paper is of value for academic research because it illustrates that results may be obtained in the wine brand field using methods traditionally used in corporate communication research, like projective techniques and communications audits.
Several brand identity frameworks have been published in the B2C and the B2B brand marketing literature. A reliable, valid and parsimonious service brand identity scale that empirically establishes the construct's dimensionality in a B2B market has yet to be developed. This paper reports the findings of a study conducted amongst 421 senior executives working in the UK IT Service sector to develop and validate a B2B Service Brand Identity Scale. Following established scale development procedures support is provided for a B2B Service Brand Identity Scale comprising five dimensions; employee and client focus, visual identity, brand personality, consistent communications and human resource initiatives. Concluding remarks discuss theoretical and managerial implications with limitations and directions for future research.
Purpose
Despite a well‐established corporate identity construct there is still ambiguity and disorientation regarding the corporate visual identity construct. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the inconsistent use of terminologies such as “symbolism” and “corporate design” as well as pointing towards an insufficient conceptualisation of the corporate identity and visual identity construct vis‐à‐vis other sensory dimensions.
Design/methodology/approach
A review of existing categorisations and conceptualisations of the corporate identity and visual identity construct is provided.
Findings
The paper presents a remodelled corporate visual identity construct that takes a holistic sensory perspective and proposes the corporate sensory identity construct as a more adequate and flexible reflection of current business reality.
Practical implications
The paper offers fundamental guidance for managers regarding the integrated and holistic utilisation of a set of sensory communication activities as part of their corporate identity management.
Originality/value
This paper contributes to the further understanding of the complexity of corporate identity management by addressing additional sensory dimensions apart from visual identity management. Moreover, by stressing the particular relevance of music and sound, this paper stimulates the integration of the auditory dimension as additional facet of a communication tool kit.
Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to examine the branding and communications strategy of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The ICRC is the world's oldest non‐religious organisation dedicated to humanitarian relief. The ICRC's remit includes civilian and military victims of armed conflicts and internal disturbances, as well as human rights issues that transcend conflict situations, such as disaster response and preparedness, health and care in the community and humanitarian principles and values. The ICRC is the founding body of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and coordinates the efforts of the National Societies and their International Federation.
Design/methodology/approach
– Various secondary sources are used to collate the information from which the case study is developed.
Findings
– The ICRC's longevity is attributed to its ability to evolve, albeit at times slowly. However, the environment in which the ICRC operates is changing rapidly. Like many international non‐profit organisations, the ICRC faces considerable challenges to ensure it remains relevant by responding to the shifting environment in a flexible and creative manner. Consequently, the ICRC's communication efforts have become increasingly important.
Originality/value
– The case study provides the opportunity to examine the branding and communications strategy for a prominent non‐profit organisation.
Purpose
– Despite the significance of sound, hitherto the auditory dimension has been widely ignored with regard to corporate identity management and corporate communication. This paper aims to expand the domains of corporate identity and corporate communication by focusing on the auditory dimension as a component of company‐controlled communication.
Design/methodology/approach
– Based on an extensive review of corporate identity and corporate communication literature, a set of hypotheses is proposed that reflect antecedents of corporate auditory identity management.
Findings
– The paper not only illustrates the importance of the auditory dimension as part of corporate identity management, it also provides initial suggestions of antecedent factors that are expected to determine the utilisation of sound on a corporate level.
Originality/value
– The presented discussion about the role of auditory identity vis‐à‐vis corporate identity management provides initial guidance for managers when considering the auditory dimension as a potential ingredient of their communication tool kit. Moreover, this paper advances existing knowledge by providing initial insight into the relationship between domains such as auditory identity and corporate identity, visual identity and corporate communication.
In referring to visual artifacts as “arguments,” scholars and analysts gain a measure of control over such artifacts not available without such a term. But increased control over the visual may come at the expense of a maximally useful conception of argument. If, for example, we claim that a picture can argue independent of language, what do we do with the conventional notion of argument as a two-part, two-sided act? In calling pictures “arguments,” we deprive a useful term of its significance and make it less likely that analysts will attend to the rhetorical functions that pictures can and do serve.
Communication networks are the patterns of contact between communication partners that are created by transmitting and exchanging messages through time and space. These networks take many forms in contemporary organizations, including personal contact networks, flows of information within and between groups, strategic alliances between firms, and global network organizations, to name but a few.
Due to a new press policy, the Dutch equivalent of the District Attorney's office actively spreads information about its suspicions of illegal behavior. Newspa pers, which are still a dominant form of news in the Netherlands, publish these suspicions. This will probably harm the suspected person's or company's image. This study addresses three questions. First, how severe is the damage caused by negative publicity in a Dutch regional daily? Second, are Dutch newspaper readers sensitive to the tone of certainty with which the accusations are expressed? Third, how lasting are any of these effects? In a field experiment, 448 readers of regional dailies, differing widely in age and education level, read either an actually published newspaper article on a possible bribery scandal, a more objective rewrite of this article, or some neutral information on the com pany s activities. Results show that the corporate image was seriously damaged by negative publicity. The more categorical the accusations were, the more damage there was. More than two weeks after reading the article, damage to the image was still present.
Purpose
Corporate visual identity (CVI) comprises all the symbols and graphical elements that express the essence of an organisation. Although it is by far the most visible and tangible asset in the armoury of tools used by the majority of organisations in their interaction with the outside world, the role of CVI is scarcely mentioned in studies on corporate reputation. Despite the growing interest in measuring reputation and brand values, little is known about the role of CVI. This article aims to explore the relationship between CVI and five general dimensions of reputation: visibility, distinctiveness, authenticity, transparency, and consistency.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper explores the relationship between corporate visual identity and reputation. In which ways and to what extent can CVI support a corporate reputation? This exposition of the relationship between reputation and CVI is based on the framework established by Fombrun and Van Riel and the reputation model they present, which consists of five dimensions: visibility, distinctiveness, authenticity, transparency, and consistency. This relationship is explored by investigating these dimensions.
Findings
It is concluded that CVI can, in principle, support each of these dimensions, through the quality of the design, the range of its application, and the condition of carriers.
Practical implications
CVI must be considered a useful tool that can be successfully applied to managing the reputation of any organization.
Originality/value
The results will be helpful to communication professionals who deal with integrated communication and aim to enhance the consistency of messages – both written and visual – within their organisation.
Addresses the relationship between organizational culture, identity and image. Argues that contemporary organizations need to define their corporate identity as a bridge between the external position of the organization in its marketplace and other relevant environments, and internal meanings formed within the organizational culture. Offers an analytical framework using the concepts of organizational culture, identity and image and suggests implications, including the need for symbolic management in and of the organization and the need to combine knowledge from the disciplines of marketing and organization studies.
This paper describes corporate branding as an organisational tool whose successful application depends on attending to the strategic, organisational and communicational context in which it is used. A model to help managers analyse context in terms of the alignment between strategic vision, organisational culture and corporate image is presented. The model is based on a gap analysis, which enables managers to assess the coherence of their corporate brand. Use of the model is illustrated by examining the stages of development that British Airways passed through in the creation of its corporate brand. The paper concludes that corporate brand management is a dynamic process that involves keeping up with continuous adjustments of vision, culture and image. The model suggests an approach to corporate branding that is organisationally integrated and cross-functional, hence the thesis that it is important to bring the (whole) corporation into corporate branding.
The authors develop guidelines to assist managers in selecting or modifying logos to achieve their corporate image goals. An empirical analysis of 195 logos, calibrated on 13 design characteristics, identified logos that meet high-recognition, low-investment, and high-image communication objectives. High-recognition logos (accurate recognition created by high investment) should be very natural, very harmonious, and moderately elaborate. Low-investment logos (false sense of knowing and positive affect) should be less natural and very harmonious. High image logos (professional look and strong positive image) must be moderately elaborate and natural. The authors illustrate the guidelines with real logos.
Analyzes visual argument as propositional argument in which the proposition and their argumentative functions are expressed visually, not verbally. Visual argument as a form of persuasion and rhetoric; Advantages and drawbacks of visual argument.
Based upon classical and contemporary theory and empirical research, this text forms a sociological analysis of organizations, focusing on the impacts that organizations have upon individuals and society.
Affirms the great need for corporate designs, yet states that the tests most frequently used are certainly not comprehensive. The reasons for these “partial” tests are explored (focusing on incorrect assumptions, as well as research design and methodology). Concludes that data collection was not completed, and that the next steps are to complete the testing of the current designs.
Examines the impact of corporate identity management on the employees’ attitudes towards the organization, as well as their willingness to accept its premises in the way they conduct organizational business. Argues that this knowledge is critical to our understanding of how external relations can be systematically managed via the employee. Presents a framework which outlines the perceived actual-ideal identity fit seen as critical to the way in which corporate identity is interpreted and enacted by employees. Case study material is provided from within a telecommunications company, to illustrate that the effective management of corporate identity requires that it is perceived to be consistent with, and representative of, actual organizational reality.
This article develops a framework for the examination of organizational newcomer socialization, in light of recent developments in communication and information technologies. The proposed model specifies how newcomers to organizations select and use advanced technologies to access information and facilitate interpersonal relationships that contribute to successful organizational socialization. In view of technological advances and current trends in organizations, the authors argue that such a model helps to make sense of contemporary socialization processes. The model is based on the premise that accurate, appropriate, and sufficient information is crucial to newcomers’efforts to become successfully socialized and considers how newcomers’selection and use of advanced technologies can aid in information acquisition. The authors propose a number of factors that may predict organizational newcomers’use of technologies toward this end, including features of their socialization experiences, individual attitudes and personality characteristics, and group and organizational norms with regard to technology use. The article concludes by discussing the theoretical and practical implications of this perspective for organizations and their members.
The psychological study of personal reputation has implications for the study of corporate identity and reputation. One set of implications deals with the way organisations are perceived by members of internal and external groups. Another set deals with the relationships between identity and reputation. Historical trends suggest the possibility of a shift of emphasis from the study of individual organisations to the study of similarities and differences between organisations. The size, shape and multiplicity of corporate reputations appear to be neglected areas of research. Other issues include: language usage, the distribution of attributions, visual identity, subculture, cognitive functions, ideals, and leadership.
We develop a model to explain how images of one's work organization shape the strength of his or her identification with the organization. We focus on two key organizational images: one based on what a member believes is distinctive, central, and enduring about his or her organization and one based on a member's beliefs about what outsiders think about the organization. According to the model, members assess the attractiveness of these images by how well the image preserves the continuity of their self-concept, provides distinctiveness, and enhances self-esteem. The model leads to a number of propositions about how organizational identification affects members' patterns of social interaction.
This research study investigates the relationship between the degree of headquarters control and standardization of Corporate Visual Identity System (CVIS) among British companies and their subsidiaries in Malaysia. It examines chief executive involvement in the development of a standardized CVIS. The findings suggest that centralised control of CVIS decisions occurs with standardization of CVIS. Moreover, the findings indicate that the chief executive is the key internal driving force of globally standardized CVIS. Against expectations, locals matched the favourable disposition of headquarters towards global standardization.
Peirce's notion of abductive reasoning provides a theoretical framework in which to analyze visual interpretation, that is, how viewers understand a visual and interpret its meaning. This paper demonstrates that a different kind of interpretive logic operates for visual communication processes than for language-based communication processes, and this logic is best articulated in the semiotic literature where the notion of interpretation is more carefully conceptualized.
It is generally acknowledged that corporate visual identity (CVI) is an important element of identity, reputation, and relationship management. Academic research has focused strongly on the strategic and design aspects of CVI, and neglected the operational level. This article addresses one of the major operational issues: the problem of ensuring a consistent use of a CVI. Based on a survey among employees of 20 large Dutch organizations, this study compares the use, perceived importance, and effects of various (structurally and culturally embedded) measures organizations may take to support the consistency of their CVI. Little correspondence was found between the use, perceived importance, and effectiveness of the various measures. Although technical tools (such as templates) and access for all employees to up to date guidelines were prevalent in the use and perceived importance analyses, one of the underexposed culturally embedded measures—i.e., managers setting an example—appeared to be a crucial factor in maintaining a consistent CVI.
Sumario: What culture is and does -- The dimensions of culture -- How to study and interpret culture -- The role leadership in building culture -- The evolution of culture and leadership -- Learning cultures and learning leaders
In December 1996, the authors designed a questionnaire survey and sent it to the Chief Executive Officers of the 1,000 largest international companies in the USA and United Kingdom. A total of 139 usable responses were returned to us in January, 1997 — a 14 per cent response rate. The questionnaires were filled out by either the CEO, or a member of the senior management team responsible for reputational matters. The responding companies were not significantly different from the larger sample in both size and reputational standing. Among the respondents were such industry leaders as American Express, BBC, Ford, Hewlett Packard, IBM, Johnson and Johnson, Royal Dutch/Shell, Sainsbury and Xerox. The purpose of the questionnaire was to examine how leading companies conceive and manage their reputation management practices. We solicited answers to questions in three categories: 1 Constituent Relationships: How leading companies relate to their constituents; the standards against which they design their practices; 2 Reputation-Building Practices: What kinds of strategies and systems leading companies rely on to build reputation and relate to their key constituents; 3 Organizational Issues: How companies organize themselves to manage reputation; do they have a reputation-building strategy, and who is responsible for it?
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