Internal brand communication for transforming employees into brand champions : the role of knowledge and value congruence

Konečnik Ruzzier, Maja (author), Terglav, Katja (author), Kaše, Robert (author)

Purpose – This paper highlights the importance of employees and the internal branding process in building and sustaining powerful brands. Specifically, we explore the impact of internal brand communication on employee brand commitment. By including employee brand knowledge and employee-brand fit as mediators, organizations develop a more comprehensive understanding of how to enhance the affective brand commitment of their employees. Design/Methodology/Approach – A total of 226 employees of an international hotel chain participated in the study. Employee data were collected with a questionnaire and analyzed by applying structural equation modeling. Findings and implications – The results imply that what matters is not only the direct influence on employee commitment. Rather, by continuously enriching employ ee cognition and enhancing employee brand value congruence, organizations can achieve higher levels of affective brand commitment and, in turn, better customer service. The paper provides several practical implications for managers regarding how to manage communication and other internal branding efforts in their organizations, thus empowering employees and transforming them into brand champions. Limitations – Data on internal brand communication could also be collected from top management and direct supervisors to complement employee perspectives on internal branding. Originality/value – The inclusion of internal brand communication and employee brand knowledge in the internal branding process has led to more comprehensive understanding of how to enhance affective brand commitment of employees.

• Language: English
• Keywords: enterprise, marketing, personell, brands, internal branding, internal brand communication, employee-brand fit, employee brand knowledge, affective brand commitment
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: EF - School of Economics and Business
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2021
• Number of pages: Str. 9-27
• Numbering: Vol. 33, spec. iss.
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-134934
• UDC: 339.138
• ISSN on article: 0353-4790
• DOI: 10.22598/mt/2021.33.spec-issue.9
• COBISS.SI-ID: 90288131
• Publication date in RUL: 11.02.2022

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Market-Tržište
• Publisher: Cromar, Hrvatska zajednica udruga za marketing, = Cromar, Croatian Union of Marketing Associations, Ekonomski fakultet, Katedra za marketing, = Faculty of Economics and business, Markting Department
• ISSN: 0353-4790
• COBISS.SI-ID: 11324162

Licences

• License: CC BY-NC 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
• Description: A creative commons license that bans commercial use, but the users don’t have to license their derivative works on the same terms.
• Licensing start date: 20.12.2021

Secondary language

• Language: Croatian
• Title: Interna komunikacija marke za transformaciju zaposlenika u šampione marke : uloga znanja i podudaranja vrijednosti

Abstract

Svrha - Rad naglašava važnost zaposlenika i procesa internoga upravljanja markom u izgradnji i održavanju jakih marki. Konkretnije, istražuje se utjecaj interne komunikacije na predanost zaposlenika marki. Uključivanjem zaposlenikova znanja o marki i podudaranja zaposlenika s markom kao medijatorom, organizacije razvijaju sveobuhvatno razumijevanje kako poboljšati zaposlenikovu afektivnu predanost. Metodološki pristup - U istraživanju je sudjelovalo 226 zaposlenika međunarodnog hotelskog lanca. Podaci su od ispitanika prikupljeni pomoću anketnoga upitnika i analizirani korištenjem modeliranja strukturnih jednadžbi. Rezultati i implikacije - Rezultati impliciraju da nije važan samo izravan utjecaj na predanost zaposlenika. Umjesto toga, kontinuiranim obogaćivanjem spoznaja zaposlenika i povećanjem podudaranja vrijednosti zaposlenika i marke, organizacije mogu postići višu razinu afektivne predanosti marki, a time i bolju uslugu korisnicima. Rad menadžerima pruža nekoliko praktičnih implikacija o tome kako upravljati komunikacijom i ostalim naporima internog upravljanja markom u njihovim organizacijama te na taj način osnažiti zaposlenike i pretvoriti ih u šampione marke. Ograničenja - Podaci o internoj komunikaciji marke mogli su se prikupiti i od najvišeg menadžmenta i izravnih nadzornika kako bi se upotpunila perspektiva zaposlenika o internom upravljanju markom. Doprinos - Uključivanjem interne komunikacije i zaposlenikova znanja o marki u proces upravljanja markom ponuđeno je sveobuhvatno razumijevanje kako poboljšati afektivnu predanost.

• Keywords: interno upravljanje markom, interna komunikacija marke, podudarnost zaposlenika i marke, zaposlenikovo znanje o marki, afektivna predanost marki