Corporate branding and rebranding: an institutional logics perspective
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JPBM-05-2016-1198 |
| Published date | 12 February 2018 |
| Pages | 96-100 |
| Date | 12 February 2018 |
| Author | Helen Stuart |
| Subject Matter | Marketing,Product management,Brand management/equity |
Corporate branding and rebranding: an
institutional logics perspective
Helen Stuart
Faculty of Law and Business, Australian Catholic University, Brisbane, Australia
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how the institutional logics framework adds a fresh perspective on corporate branding,
particularly in times of organisational change and subsequent corporate rebranding.
Design/methodology/approach –The paper examines previous comprehensive approaches to corporate branding in the face of organisational
transformation, applying institutional theory which adds to intelligence already developed regarding corporate branding and rebranding in this
situation.
Findings –An understanding of the institutional logics framework provides insights into how corporate branding and rebranding in organisations is
affected in an environment where the organisation simultaneously holds values and beliefs inherent to two or more competing institutional forms
(Townley, 2002).
Research limitations/implications –Further research is required to develop a model which integrates institutional logics into previous approaches
to corporate rebranding.
Practical implications –Consideration of the underlying institutional logics of an organisation and how organisation al transformation results in
competing institutional logics and institutional pluralism leads to profound thinking about branding and rebranding an organisation.
Originality/value –Although there are a number of studies which look at how to evolve the corporate brand in times of organisational
transformation, the institutional logics approach has not yet been applied to this issue, except by the author.
Keywords Institutional logics, Corporate rebranding, Organizational transformation
Paper type Conceptual paper
Introduction
Interest in the corporate brand dates back to the 1990s. King
(1991) reasoned that to sustain a comparative advantage over
competitors in the future, it would become necessary for
organisations to position themselves as brands, as this would
give the companies opportunities to grow as they evolve the
company brand. Balmer (1995) contended that corporate
brands had ascendencyover product brands and that corporate
brands were of strategic importance, commenting that even
Proctor and Gamble saw the need to develop their corporate
brand, despite having strong product brands. He went on to
describe the underpinning concepts associated with corporate
brands, particularly corporate identity and image. These
concepts had already been written about by writers such as
Margulies (1977),Kennedy(1977) and Abratt (1989), but the
notion of a corporatebrand had not been explored.
As stated by Balmer (2013), companies in this decade
perceive the corporate brand as a treasured strategic resource
and asset and a force that guidesthe organisation in terms of its
purpose and culture. However, reinterpretations of the
environment encompassing organisations are increasingly
commonplace affecting organisational purpose and strategic
direction, and in turn corporate branding. Organisational
responses to the changing internal and external environment,
including stakeholder expectationsof the organisation, compel
organisationsto rethinktheir purpose, and this often results in a
corporate rebranding decision, sometimes even changing the
name.
In this article, I provide an additional perspective on
corporate rebranding that arises when the internal and/or
external environment of the organisationschange significantly.
The transformations can be interpreted using the institutional
logics framework. According to this framework, the result of
such changes generates institutional pluralism. This article
serves to demonstrate how an understanding of institutional
logics and institutional pluralism can facilitate profound
thinking about the potential effectiveness of corporate brand
changes. In particular, as the job of corporate brand managers
and brand champions (see Ind, 2007) is to decode strategic
organisational changesthrough the lens of the corporate brand,
an understanding of institutional logics and institutional
pluralism is critical.
Corporate branding and organisational strategy
Asignificant development in the understanding of the
relationship betw een corporate iden tity and corporate
branding was Balmer’s actual, communicated, ideal, desired
(ACID) test and its ite rations. Balmer re alised that the
corporate identity/image interface represented only one of a
number of interfaces between the concepts that were being
developed at the time (Balmer,2001a, 2001b). The original
ACID test alluded t o the communicate d identity as who we
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on
Emerald Insight at: www.emeraldinsight.com/1061-0421.htm
Journal of Product & Brand Management
27/1 (2018) 96–100
© Emerald Publishing Limited [ISSN 1061-0421]
[DOI 10.1108/JPBM-05-2016-1198]
96
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