Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The corporate brand identity matrix

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Journal of Brand Management Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The lack of a widely agreed framework to help define and align corporate brand identity constitutes a serious managerial problem and a shortcoming of the academic literature. In response, this article provides such a framework, the Corporate Brand Identity Matrix (CBIM), which draws upon the relevant literature, enriched by hands-on corporate experience gained by its application in three international corporate branding case studies. Corporate brand identity is explored internally, externally and by focusing on the ‘brand core’. The CBIM offers academics and managers a theoretical and practical guide to the describing, defining and aligning of corporate brand identity. It is a tailored alternative to existing frameworks, which have often been designed for product brands, not corporate brands.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Aaker, D.A. (1996) Building Strong Brands. New York: The Free Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Aaker, D.A. (2004) Leveraging the corporate brand. California Management Review 46 (3): 6–26.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Alvesson, M. and Berg, P.-O. (1992) Corporate Culture and Organizational Symbolism. Berlin, Germany: De Gruyter.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Argyris, C. (1973) Intervention Theory and Method: A Behavioural Science View. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Asch, S.E. (1946) Forming impressions of personality. The Journal of Social Psychology 41 (3): 258–290.

    Google Scholar 

  • Augustsson, F. and Larsson, M. (2012) Managing the corporate brand. MSc thesis, Lund University, Lund, Sweden, http://www.lu.se/lup/publication/2740428, accessed 4 August 2012.

  • Balmer, J.M.T. (1995) Corporate branding and connoisseurship. Journal of General Management 21 (Autumn): 24–46.

    Google Scholar 

  • Balmer, J.M.T. (1998) Corporate identity and the advent of corporate marketing. Journal of Marketing Management 14 (8): 963–996.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Balmer, J.M.T. (2008) Identity based view of the corporation: Insights from corporate identity, organisational identity, social identity, visual identity, corporate brand identity and corporate image. European Journal of Marketing 42 (9–10): 879–906.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Balmer, J.M.T. (2010) Explicating corporate brands and their management: Reflections and directions from 1995. Journal of Brand Management 18 (3): 180–196.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Balmer, J.M.T. and Gary, E.R. (2003) Corporate brands: What are they? What of them? European Journal of Marketing 37 (7–8): 972–997.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Balmer, J.M.T. and Greyser, S.A. (2002) Managing the multiple identities of the corporation. California Management Review 44 (3): 72–86.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Balmer, J.M.T. and Greyser, S.A. (2003) Revealing the Corporation: Perspectives on Identity, Image, Reputation, Corporate Branding, and Corporate Level-Marketing. London: Routledge.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Balmer, J.M.T., Stuart, H. and Greyser, S.A. (2009) Aligning identity and strategy: Corporate branding at British Airways in the late 20th century. California Management Review 51 (3): 6–23.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barney, J.B. (1996) Gaining and Sustaining Competitive Advantage. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baumgarth, C. (2010) Living the brand: Brand orientation in the business-to-business sector. European Journal of Marketing 44 (5): 653–671.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baumgarth, C., Urde, M. and Merrilees, B. (2011) Kunden- oder Markenorienterung – Zwei Seiten einer Medaille oder alternative Routen? Marketing Review St. Gallen 28 (1): 8–13.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bernstein, D. (1984) Company, Image & Reality. London: Cassell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Beverland, M.P. (2009) Building Brand Authenticity: 7 Habits of Iconic Brands. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Blumer, H. (1969) Symbolic Interactionism. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brexendorf, T.O. and Kernstock, J. (2007) Corporate behaviour versus brand behaviour: Towards an integrated view? Journal of Brand Management 15 (1): 32–40.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burmann, C., Jost-Benz, M. and Riley, N. (2009) Towards an identity-based equity model. Journal of Business Research 62 (3): 390–397.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Balabanis, G. and Diamantopoulos, A. (2011) Gains and losses from misperception of brand origin: The role of brand strength and country-of-origin image. Journal of International Marketing 9 (2): 95–116.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • de Chernatony, L. (2010) From Brand Vision to Brand Evaluation, 3rd edn. Oxford, UK: Butterworth-Heinemann.

    Google Scholar 

  • Collins, J.C. and Porras, J.I. (1997) Built to Last. London: Random House.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eden, C. and Huxham, C. (1996) Action research for management research. British Journal of Management 7 (1): 75–86.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Esch, F.-R., Tomczak, T., Kernstock, J. and Langner, T. (2006) Corporate Brand Management. Wiesbaden, Germany: Gabler.

    Google Scholar 

  • Farquhar, P.H. (2005) Editorial: Brand alignment across organisational boundaries. Journal of Brand Management 13 (2): 96–100.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fournier, S. (1998) Consumers and their brands: Developing a relationship theory in consumer research. Journal of Consumer Research 24 (4): 343–353.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frow, P. and Payne, A. (2011) A stakeholder perspective of the value proposition concept. European Journal of Marketing 45 (1–2): 223–240.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grant, R.M. (1991) The resource-based theory of competitive advantage: Implication for strategy formulation. California Management Review 83 (3): 114–135.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grant, R.M. (1996) Prospering in dynamic-competence environments: Organizational capability as knowledge integration. Organization Science 7 (4): 375–387.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Greyser, S.A. (2009) Corporate brand reputation and brand crisis management. Management Decision 47 (4): 590–602.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gromark, J. and Melin, M. (2011) The underlying dimensions of brand orientation and its impact on financial performance. Journal of Brand Management 18 (6): 394–410.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Guiraud, P. (1971) Semiology. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gummesson, E. (2005) Qualitative research in marketing. European Journal of Marketing 39 (3/4): 309–327.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hamel, G. and Prahalad, C.K. (1985) Do you really have a global strategy? Harvard Business Review 63 (4): 139–148.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hankinsson, P. (2002) The impact on brand orientation on managerial practice: Quantitative study of UK’s top 500 fundraising managers. International Journal of Nonprofit Voluntary Sector Marketing 7 (1): 30–40.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harris, M.J. and de Chernatony, L. (2001) Corporate branding and corporate brand performance. European Journal of Marketing 35 (3–4): 441–456.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hatch, M.J. and Schultz, M. (2001) Are the strategic stars aligned for your corporate brand? Harvard Business Review 79 (2): 129–134.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hatch, M.J. and Schultz, M. (2008) Taking Brand Initiative – How Companies can Align Strategy, Culture, and Identity through Corporate Branding. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Holt, B.H. (2004) How Brands Become Icons. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hooley, G., Broderick, A.J. and Möller, K. (1998) Competitive positioning and the resource based view of the firm. Journal of Strategic Marketing 6 (2): 97–115.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ind, N. (2007) Living the Brand. London: Kogan Page.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ind, N. and Bjerke, R. (2007) Branding Governance. Chichester, UK: John Wiley & Sons.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kapferer, J.-N. (1991) Les Marques: Capital De L’entreprise (Brands: Corporate Assets). Paris, France: Les editions d’organisation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kapferer, J.-N. (2012) Strategic Brand Management, 5th edn. London: Kogan Page.

    Google Scholar 

  • Keller, K.L and Richey, K. (2006) The importance of corporate brand personality traits to a successful 21st century business. Journal of Brand Management 14 (1–2): 74–81.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Keller, K.L., Aperia, T. and Georgson, M. (2012) Strategic Brand Management: A European Perspective, 2nd edn. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • King, S. (1991) Brand-building in the 1990s. Journal of Consumer Marketing 8 (4): 43–51.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kohli, A. and Jaworski, B.J. (1990) Market orientation: The construct, research propositions and managerial implications. Journal of Marketing 54 (2): 1–18.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kotler, P. (1984) Marketing Management: Analysis, Planning and Control, 5th edn. London: Prentice-Hall International.

    Google Scholar 

  • Knox, S. and Bickerton, D. (2003) The six conventions of corporate branding. European Journal of Marketing 37 (7/8): 998–1016.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leavy, B. (2003) Assessing your strategic alternatives from both a market position and core competence perspective. Strategy & Leadership 31 (6): 29–35.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Levitt, T. (1960) Marketing myopia. Harvard Business Review 38 (4): 45–56.

    Google Scholar 

  • Levitt, T. (1980) Marketing success through differentiation – Of anything. Harvard Business Review 58 (1): 83–91.

    Google Scholar 

  • Levitt, T. (1981) Marketing intangible products and product intangibles. Cornell Hospitality Quarterly 22 (2): 37–44.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Levy, S. (1959) Symbols for sale. Harvard Business Review 37 (4): 117–124.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lewin, K. (1946) Action research and minority problems. Journal of Social Issues 2 (4): 34–46.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Low, G.S. and Fullerton, R.A. (1994) Brands, brand management, and the brand manager system: A critical-historical evaluation. Journal of Marketing Research 31 (2): 173–190.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Melewar, T.C. and Jenkins, J. (2002) Defining the corporate identity construct. Corporate Reputation Review 5 (1): 76–90.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Melin, F. (1997) Varumärket som strategiskt konkurrensmedel (The brand as a competitive tool). Lund, Sweden: Lund University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mick, D.G. (1986) Consumer research and semiotics: Exploring the morphology of signs, symbols, and significance. Journal of Consumer Research 13 (2): 196–213.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mollerup, P. (1997) Marks of Excellence. London: Phaidon Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Olins, W. (1989) Corporate Identity. London: Thames and Hudson.

    Google Scholar 

  • Park, C.W., Jaworski, B.J. and MacInnis, D.J. (1986) Strategic brand concept-image management. Journal of Marketing 50 (4): 135–145.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Perry, C. and Gummesson, E. (2004) Action research in marketing. European Journal of Marketing 38 (3/4): 310–320.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Prahalad, C.K. and Hamel, G. (1990) The core competence of the corporation. Harvard Business Review 68 (3): 79–87.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ries, T. and Trout, J. (1986) Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind. New York: McGraw-Hill.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rintamaki, T., Kuusela, H. and Mitronen, L. (2007) Identifying competitive customer value propositions in retailing. Managing Service Quality 17 (6): 621–634.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • deSaussure, F. (1983) Course in General Linguistics. Translated by R. Harris. London: Gerald Duckworth.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schroder, J.E. and Saltzer-Morling, M. (2006) Brand Culture. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schultz, M., Antorini, Y.M. and Csaba, F.F. (2005) Corporate Branding: Purpose, People, Process. Copenhagen, Denmark: Copenhagen Business School Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Senge, P.M. (1990) The Fifth Discipline. London: Random House.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shannon, C.E. and Weaver, W. (1964) The Mathematical Theory of Communication. Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Silverman, B. (1993) Interpreting Qualitative Data. London: Sage Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Solomon, M.R. (1983) The role of social stimuli: A symbolic interactionism perspective. Journal of Consumer Research 10: 319–330.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stalk, G., Evans, P. and Shulman, L.E. (1992) Competing on capabilities: The new rules of corporate strategy. Harvard Business Review 70 (2): 57–69.

    Google Scholar 

  • Urde, M. (1994) Brand orientation: A strategy for survival. Journal of Consumer Marketing 11 (3): 18–32.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Urde, M. (1997) Doctoral Dissertation: Märkesorientering / Brand Orientation. Lund, Sweden: Lund University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Urde, M. (1999) Brand Orientation: A mindset for building brands into strategic resources. Journal of Marketing Management 15 (1–3): 117–133.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Urde, M. (2003) Core value-based corporate brand building. European Journal of Marketing 37 (7/8): 1017–1040.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Urde, M. (2009) Uncovering the corporate brand’s core values. Management Decision 47 (4): 616–638.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Urde, M., Greyser, S.A. and Balmer, J.M.T. (2007) Corporate brands with a heritage. Journal of Brand Management 15 (1): 4–19.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Urde, M., Baumgarth, C. and Merrilees, B. (2011) Brand orientation and market orientation: From alternatives to synergy. Journal of Business Research 66 (1): 13–20.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yin, R.K. (1989) Case Study Research: Design and Methods. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yin, R.K. (1993) Application of Case Study Research. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The author gratefully acknowledges the insightful and helpful comments of the two anonymous Journal of Brand Management reviewers. Special thanks are also extended to the case companies and to Emeritus Professor Stephen A. Greyser, Harvard Business School, and Ragnar Saevarsson and Sesselia Birgisdóttir of Lund University for valuable comments.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Lund University, Möllegatan 7, SE 263 32 Höganäs, Sweden

    Mats Urde

Authors
  1. Mats Urde
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mats Urde.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Urde, M. The corporate brand identity matrix. J Brand Manag 20, 742–761 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1057/bm.2013.12

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/bm.2013.12

Keywords

Search

Navigation