Isabel Buil

Brand orientation and brand values in retail banking

Abstract This exploratory study seeks to provide an appreciation of brand orientation in retail banking. Through in-depth interviews at head office and branch level, we explore managers’ brand mind-set. We also surface managers’ views about the relationship between market and brand orientation. Further, we examine managers’ perceptions about the role of brand values as resources in creating a brand orientation. In a large-scale study of front-line employees, we examine the level of agreement with brand values, and describe differences in brand buy-in across employee clusters.

Consumers' self-congruence with a 'Liked' brand: cognitive network influence and brand outcomes

Purpose Brand “Likes” on Facebook facilitate self-expression, forming part of consumers’ virtual selves. Yet, consumers’ brand “Likes” may bear little resemblance to their material realities. This paper aims to test similarities of brand image with self-image for Facebook “Likes” to determine whether self-congruence with a “Liked” brand leads to positive offline brand outcomes. It also investigates whether consumers’ perceptions about their Facebook social relations influence self-congruent brand “Likes”. Design/methodology/approach A large-scale survey was conducted of regular Facebook users who “Liked” brands. Data from 438 respondents was analysed and hypotheses tested using structural equation modeling. Findings Empirical results show that the perceived self-congruence with a “Liked” brand increases with social tie strength. Perceived social tie strength is informed by perceived attitude homophily. When the perceived self-congruence with a “Liked” brand is higher, brand love and word of mouth (WOM) are enhanced. Consumers also have greater brand loyalty and offer more WOM when brands are loved. Research limitations/implications Findings demonstrate the influence of consumers’ cognitive network on “Likes” and brand outcomes. Further replication would enhance generalisability. Future research should use a wider sample and investigate other variables. Practical implications Findings support managers seeking to grow and analyse Facebook “Likes” by providing insights into brand loyalty, brand love and WOM for “Liked” brands. Originality/value The paper addresses the dearth of research exploring how consumers’ perceptions of their Facebook network influence their online brand behaviour and how perceived self-congruence with a “Liked” brand relates to brand outcomes.

The importance of corporate brand identity in business management: An application to the UK banking sector

Corporate brand identity management is a key issue for any organisation. Accordingly, its study is a research field of great interest. This paper seeks to broaden the understanding of this strategic activity and its effects. Specifically, it investigates the concept of corporate brand identity from the employees’ perspective in the UK financial banking sector and analyses the link between brand identity management and employees’ attitudes and behaviours. Results indicate that organisations should pay special attention to the corporate brand identity management, given its influence on employees’ commitment with their organisations, as well as their brand performance and satisfaction.

Service employee clusters in banking:exploring Ind's typology considering behaviour, commitment and attitude about leadership

Purpose: Ind suggests front line employees can be segmented according to their level of brand-supporting performance. His employee typology has not been empirically tested. The paper aims to explore front line employee performance in retail banking, and profile employee types. Design/methodology/approach: Attitudinal and demographic data from a sample of 404 front line service employees in a leading Irish bank informs a typology of service employees. Findings: Champions, Outsiders and Disruptors exist within retail banking. The authors provide an employee profile for each employee type. They found Champions amongst males, and older employees. The highest proportion of female employees surveyed were Outsiders. Disruptors were more likely to complain, and rated their performance lower than any other employee type. Contrary to extant literature, Disruptors were more likely to hold a permanent contract than other employee types. Originality/value: The authors augment the literature by providing insights about the profile of three employee types: Brand Champions, Outsiders and Disruptors. Moreover, the authors postulate the influence of leadership and commitment on each employee type. The cluster profiles raise important questions for hiring, training and rewarding front line banking employees. The authors also provide guidelines for managers to encourage Champions, and curtail Disruptors.

Brand Identity Management and Corporate Social Responsibility: an analysis from employees’ perspective in the banking sector

Brand identity management and corporate social responsibility have increased importance in both managerial practice and academic research. However, only a small number of studies have examined how these strategic tools influence employees’ attitudes and behaviours. The aim of this paper is, therefore, to analyse how employees’ perceptions of brand identity management and corporate social responsibility affect their attitudes and behaviours. An empirical study was undertaken among a sample of 297 front line employees working in the UK banking sector. Hypotheses were tested using partial least square regression. The results show that employees’ perceptions of brand identity management and corporate social responsibility determine their commitment towards their organisations, both directly and indirectly through perceived external prestige. Organisational commitment explains employees’ brand performance and brand citizenship behaviour. Age differences indicate higher impact of brand identity management on older employees, and higher effects of perceived corporate social responsibility in younger employees. The results extend existing knowledge and are informative for bank managers.

When does “liking” a charity lead to donation behaviour?: Exploring conspicuous donation behaviour on social media platforms

Purpose This study investigates the relationship between young people’s Conspicuous Donation Behaviour (CDB) on social media platforms and their offline donation behaviour, specifically intentions to donate and volunteer time. It also explores materialism, self-esteem and self-monitoring as CDB trait antecedents, as a form of conspicuous consumption on social media. Finally, it considers the influence of altruism on these relationships. Design/methodology/approach A survey was conducted of regular Facebook users mentioning a charity brand on Facebook in the past year. Data from 234 participants was analysed and hypotheses tested using structural equation modeling. Findings Results confirm two forms of CDB – self and other-oriented. Materialistic consumers are more likely to engage in both forms of CDB on Facebook. High self-esteem increases self-oriented CDB; high self-monitoring increases other-oriented CDB. Self-oriented CDB is positively associated with donation intentions, but other-oriented CDB is ne...

Managing brand identity: effects on the employees

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to better understand the brand identity management process from the employees’ perspective. Specifically, it explores how the different dimensions of brand identity management influence employees’ attitudinal and behavioural responses. Design/methodology/approach: An empirical study was carried out to test the proposed model. The sample consisted of 297 employees in the UK financial services sector. Hypothesis testing was conducted using partial least square regression. Findings: Results indicate that effective brand identity management can increase employees’ identification with their organisations. Specifically, the most influential dimension is the employee-client focus. Results also show that organisational identification is a key variable to explain job satisfaction, word-of-mouth and brand citizenship behaviour. Research limitations/implications: This study focusses on the UK financial sector. To explore the generalisability of results, replication studies among other sectors and countries would be useful. The cross-sectional nature of the study also limits its causal inference. Practical implications: This study shows the importance of brand identity management to foster positive employee attitudes and actions that go beyond their job responsibilities. The model developed may help organisations analyse the impact of managerial actions, monitoring the potential effects of changes in brand identity management amongst employees. Originality/value: Although numerous conceptual frameworks highlight the importance of brand identity management, empirical studies in this area are scarce. The current work extends previous research by empirically analysing the effects of the dimensions of brand identity management from the employees’ perspective.