1. Reputation Management Unit 1
Definition and Development
Corporate Identity, Image and Reputation

2. Overview Corporate identity management
Establishing, maintaining and protecting corporate reputations with different stakeholder groups

3. Corporate identity Strategically projecting a particular
positive image of the organization
to build, maintain and protect strong
reputations with stakeholders
leads to stakeholders accepting and supporting the organization
Gives organizations first-choice status with investors, customers, employees and other stakeholders

4. Advantages of corporate image investing
Stakeholders: recognize an organization
Employees: A strong image helps raise motivate and morale – creating a ‘we’ feeling
Distinctiveness
Being favoured may have an impact on performance
Impact
Avoid conflicting images and messages
Especially important as individuals have more than one stakeholder role
Stakeholders

5. Corporate identity Originally corporate identity focused on
logos and visual design
Now encompasses all forms of communication
Not just outward embodiment of company but also intrinsic characteristics/traits of company that provides specificity

6. The Birkigt and Stadler model of corporate identity
Birkigt, K. and Stadler, M. (1986) Corporate Identity: Grundlagen, Funktionen und Beispielen. Landsberg an Lech: Verlag Moderne Industrie

7. Corporate identity, image and reputation
Corporate image management adds an important symbolic dimension to corporate communication

8. Corporate identity in relation to corporate reputation
Based on Van Riel, C.B.M. and Balmer, J. (1997), ‘Corporate identity: The concept, its measurement and management’, European Journal of Marketing, 31: 342.

9. The Relationship between Social, Organizational and Corporate Identity
Source: Adapted from Cornelissen, J. P., Haslam, S. A. and Balmer, J. M. T. (2007), ‘Social Identity, Organizational Identity and Corporate Identity: Towards an Integrated Understanding of Processes, Patternings and Products’, British Journal of Management, 18: S1–S16.

10. Monolithic, endorsed and branded identities
ORGANIZATION
Brand
symbolism
Behavior
communication
MONOLITHIC

11. Types of identity structure
Definition
Example
Monolithic
Single all-embracing identity (products all carry the same corporate name)
Sony, BMW, Virgin, Philips
Endorsed
Businesses and product brands are endorsed or badged with the parent company name
General Motors, Kellogg, Nestlé, Cadbury
Branded
Individual businesses or product brands each carry their own name (and are seemingly unrelated to each other)
Procter & Gamble (Ariel, Ola) Electrolux (Zanussi), Unilever (Dove)

12. Aligning identity, image and reputation
Importance of alignment between:
the organizational culture as experienced by employees
the corporate vision as articulated by senior managers
corporate image or reputation in the minds of external stakeholders

13. Toolkit to assess the alignment between vision, culture and image
Hatch, M.J. and Schultz, M. (2001)

14. Three toolkit elements
Vision: senior management’s aspirations for the organization.
Culture: the organization’s values as felt and shared by all employees of the organization.
Image: the image or impression that outside stakeholders have of the organization.

15. Aligning identity, image and reputation
Interface between vision and culture:
Does the organization practise the values it promotes?
Does the organization’s vision inspire all its subcultures?
Are the organization’s vision and culture sufficiently differentiated from those of its competitors?

16. Interface between vision and image
Who are the organization’s stakeholders?
What do the stakeholders want from the organization?
Is the organization effectively communicating its vision to its stakeholders?
BA Case study – controversy over a move away from design that reflected heritage and traditional values
Image-vision gap
Equally important to have alignment between vision, culture and image

17. Reputation’s Visibility
Fortune’s “Most Admired Companies.”
From the periphery to the center of business and public relations thinking.
Corporate-centric.

18. Lack of PR Interest 2001 PR awakens to reputation.
Thirty years of little contribution from PR.
PR had distaste for image.
Bernays
Grunig
“Image” a false front projected to manipulate constituents.
Dominated by marketing research.

19. Transition to Reputation
Image is tainted.
Indicates style over substance.
Reputation is actually more complex.
Focus on actions as basis for reputation.

20. Definition How constituents perceive an organization
The aggregate evaluation constituents make about how well an organization is meeting constituent expectations based on its past behaviors (Rindova & Fombrun, 1998; Wartick, 1992).

21. Evaluative Nature of Reputations
Reputation is an evaluation constituents make about an organization’s performance.
Different standards of evaluation create different reputations.
PR natural fit to address constituent perceptions and evaluations.