دانلود رایگان مقاله انگلیسی تقویت ارزش های برند داخلی با برنامه های سفارشی برند: آزمایش مدل عامل موفقیت - اشپرینگر 2018

Abstract

Particular in service and b-to-b-sectors, employees’ brand commitment is a prerequisite for building a strong brand. While many areas of interest within the field of internal branding have been tested by empirical studies, knowledge of internally oriented brand ambassador programs (BAPs) is predominately anecdotal. The aim of this article is to identify BAPs’ success factors by first defining the corresponding term, followed by a BAP framework based on the literature, using 25 success factors in six categories. A longitudinal case study from the service industry tested the practical application of the framework, while the results of the case study were used to adapt the model. The findings show that a BAP is not an isolated instrument of internal brand management, but that its impact depends on important background factors such as brand orientation, brand management and C-level support. Overall, the updated BAP success factor model contains 31 factors. The research supports the planning and implementation of BAPs, as well as the monitoring of ongoing and the reflection of completed BAPs.

Conclusion

Summary and research implications

The authors believe to their best knowledge that this research paper is the first that empirically analyses the concept of BAPs in a business context. The derived success factor model makes a significant impact on internal brand management literature. Most importantly, it brings to our attention that instruments of internal branding are rarely successful when used in an isolated context. On the contrary, background factors such as the support of the C-level, the brand orientation of the company, as well as a professional brand management, strongly influence the effectiveness of BAPs. A further contribution to research on internal brand management is the emphasis on a phaseoriented view.

On the basis of the general insight that the success of brand management partly depends on the internal anchorage of the brand inside the company, this paper discussed the BAP as a concrete tool. The findings show some new insights: firstly, a BAP is not an isolated instrument of internal brand management, but its impact depends on background factors such as brand orientation, brand management, as well as the C-level support. Secondly, the success of a BAP is based on a combination of the specific characteristics of the coordinator, the program design, the BAs, as well as the target groups. Thirdly, BAP is not a static program, but a dynamic and phase-oriented approach. The derived BAP model, with 31 potential success factors, supports the planning and implementation of BAPs, as well as the monitoring of ongoing and the reflection of completed BAPs.