Internal Branding Through “Living The Brand”: A Comparative Analysis in the Banking Sector

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to extend our understanding towards brand supporting behaviors and assess empirical relationship between them and brand performance. Also to understand internal branding process from employees perspective to what attributes are important in “living the brand” or delivering the brand performance. A quantitative survey was conducted from two banks (one international/multinational and other local). Sampling frame consisted of 850 managerial level employees in Bank ‘A’ and 900 in Bank ‘B’ and sample size was 10% of actual population. Structural equation modelling was run to assess the fit of model and interpret causal relationships through path analysis. To explore the factors of internal branding which drives performance of employees, three in-depth interviews were carried out from each bank on the basis of their willingness. Brand supporting behaviors i.e. brand identification positively related with brand commitment, brand loyalty and brand performance but their significance varies from organization to organization. Also attributes that employee find attractive is different for each organization and contribute in internal branding process. Work environment, employment, internal communication and other factors can influence employees brand supporting behaviors and affect internal branding process. The results provide practical insight with respect to internal branding dynamics of local market. It also suggest characteristic valued by existing employees and need attention of management to let employees “live the brand”