The role of internal branding in managing sustainable brand transformation

Fatima Regany () and Cristina Longo ()
Additional contact information
Fatima Regany: LUMEN - Lille University Management Lab - ULR 4999 - Université de Lille
Cristina Longo: LUMEN - Lille University Management Lab - ULR 4999 - Université de Lille

Post-Print from HAL

Abstract: Research has explored the organizational context required to develop sustainable brands, but has ignored how the transformation unfolds. We draw on the internal branding conceptual framework to study how sustainable brand transformation is internally managed and the issues emerging in this transformation. A qualitative study, based on a variety of sources (interviews with managers, observation, secondary data), reveals collaborative and tensed internal branding dynamics between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and marketing managers, inducing a CSR-based positioning and co-creation of sustainable brands. The figure of the activist emerges as a leader who works to turn his colleagues into sustainable brand-change champions. Moreover, when connecting to external branding, managers navigate through two sets of contradictions that feed brand dilemmas: transparent communication versus opaque silence and self-confidence versus doubt. Theoretical contributions in internal branding, brand co-creation, and sustainable brand complexities as well as recommendations to internally manage and accelerate sustainable brand transformation are presented.

Keywords: Branding; Corporate social responsibility (CSR); Internal branding; Sustainable brand transformation; Sustainable brands; Sustainable marketing (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023-05-02
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Published in Recherche et Applications en Marketing (English Edition), 2023, 38 (3), pp.110-131. ⟨10.1177/20515707231166617⟩

There are no downloads for this item, see the EconPapers FAQ for hints about obtaining it.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:hal-04451357

DOI: 10.1177/20515707231166617

Access Statistics for this paper

More papers in Post-Print from HAL
Bibliographic data for series maintained by CCSD ().