Correspondence: Shaun Powell, School of Management & Languages, Heriot Watt University, Edinburgh Scotland EH14 4AS, UK. Tel: +44 (0)131 4513848; Fax: +44 (0)131 4513296; E-mail: s.powell@hw.ac.uk; Web: http://www.corporate-marketing.org

¹is a lecturer in Marketing within the School of Management and Languages at Heriot Watt University in Edinburgh. Shaun is also a cofounder of the International Centre for Corporate and Organisational Marketing Studies. His current research interests include branding of services, corporate and organisational marketing, marketing of SMEs, marketing within creative industries, marketing and young consumers, qualitative research methodologies.

Received 30 March 2007; Revised 30 March 2007.

Abstract

Worldwide, the creative industries are growing faster than other economic sectors. Organisations within these industries are often knowledge based and, therefore, likely to rely on their own employees and internal processes for enhancing creativity in their work. This in turn enhances their creative reputation and strengthens their organisational brand. This research uses a detailed interpretative and inductive case study approach, based upon thematic network analysis, to empirically explore the interface between organisational marketing, creativity and identity. Its aim is to uncover their relationship with the creative brand, within a business-to-business context. The inductively generated themes presented within this paper uncover and explore some of the subtle and often inter-relating complexities involved when taking a mainly internal, employee perspective. It also highlights and draws attention to potential barriers to achieving a desired or effective creative brand.