An Exploration of the process of brand identity building and internal organisational culture

Abstract

Building a strong brand identity has become a major marketing concern for many organisations. In previous years, the focus was on the interaction between organisation and customers. This study extended previous research by providing a deeper exploration and understanding of how the organisation developed through the process of brand identity building and its relationship to internal organisational culture.

Based on Kapferer’s (1992) brand identity prism, Hofstede and Hofstede’s (2005) onion model, and an extensive literature review, a conceptual model was built as a guide for this research. A qualitative approach with semi-structured interviews was used to explore the food and beverage industry. Interviews were carried out with 15 independent coffee shops in Christchurch, New Zealand.

The theory of brand identity and internal organisational culture were then analysed. There were three key findings from this research that indicated attentiveness among the respondents about brand identity and the internal organisational practices in an organisation. First, having an appropriate brand name, a distinctive concept, an engaging leader's personality, a 'do it myself' attitude, the length of time in the industry and having an original concept will assist the process of brand identity creation. Second, employees’ obligations to routine operations, exercise of internal marketing among employees, identifying elements of personal values and factors influencing employees’ values and motivations, related directly to constructing the internal culture. Third, the adaptation and assimilation process and brand existence mapping played an important role in assimilating the brand identity into an internal culture.

This study contributed to our understanding of how brand identity was built, then connected it to the internal culture of the organisation. The findings suggested that the process of creating and building a brand identity was more complicated than just creating the visual imagery. It relied on a learning process, which involved teaching and practising the rituals that needed to be engaged in by every individual in the organisation. It also included efforts to actively present the identity of the brand or the organisation to the consuming public. It was essential to ensure distinctiveness in an outlet’s identity to attract customers’ attention and to better understand the interaction between these brand identity building elements.

This study concluded that the adaptation and assimilation process has a significant role in creating a unique service organisation. A conceptual framework was developed and presented in this thesis. The framework focused on the process of building brand identity and an internal culture and can be applied to food and beverage outlets in particular, but also to the service industry in general. The results of this study could be strengthened by conducting further research in other countries and in other service industries, using the research framework. Findings from different countries and industries will contribute to emerging foundations to enhance the current research framework.