A Conceptualization of an Internal Branding Process Model: Ethnographic Case Study of F-Secure’s Brand Project

Abstract

Researchers and practitioners have noted the importance of internal branding even though many organizations are struggling in harnessing employees to build and strengthen the corporate brand image (Baker et al. 2014; Morhart et al. 2009). Many different fields of branding, marketing, and management research share the same goal but have different ways or approaches for accomplishing it. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to conduct an internal branding process model which is not limited only to a certain field of study, approach or subfield. By combining, connecting and linking similarities and recurrent aspects, the model aims to find a way how different fields of research may support each other and by that offer deeper and more comprehensive managerial implications for practitioners and decision makers. The aim is to answer questions of what kind of internal branding process is needed for turning employees into brand champions, and how can a company analyze their current state of internal branding and utilize that analysis. This paper provides an overview of the previous academic literature related to internal branding. Based on the previous research and theories, a comprehensive internal branding process model is formed. The process starts from an organization’s ambition and approach to branding, i.e. brand orientation. Brand orientation includes attributes that support the building and leveraging of inter-nal branding mechanisms, and those mechanisms effect on the perceptions of employees. Finally, employee’s psychological state work as a mediator on how well employees respond on internal branding. The result of the process is employee brand-building behavior which refers to acting as a brand champion. The model and its parts represent an ideal concept of what attributes have taken into account and managed when aiming for employees’ brand-building behavior through internal branding. The empirical part of this paper consists of the employment of the model on Finnish cyber security company F-Secure. Using an ethnographic case study method this paper provides an empirical ex-ample on how the model can be applied in practice and used as a framework type of analyzing method. As its best, the model can help an organization to recognize what kind of practices they already have, what could be developed, and what are the areas that need more attention and efforts in order to harness employees to act as brand champions.