Document Type
Article
Rights
Available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike 4.0 International Licence
Disciplines
5.2 ECONOMICS AND BUSINESS
Abstract
The growth of collaborative independent retail networks (CIRN’s) has been a significant response by independents to the growing power of retailer multiples. These networks vary in nature and structure, but share a common objective of improved competitiveness through more effective buying, pooled marketing and/or national brand recognition. At a minimum, these networks have enabled independent retailers to achieve a relative degree of competitive parity with multiples, through participation in strategic brand building. Consequently, there is a need for a greater understanding of key issues relating to building independent store brands through collaborative networks. This research aims to better understand the internal branding process within CIRNs, a relatively unexplored area of both the corporate branding, retail and organisational studies literatures. It focuses on one antecedent of internal brand commitment, namely brand identity, interpreted as the metamorphic glue in the internal branding process, using a multiple case methodology. Findings indicated a perception of shared values, shared goals, common branding challenges and strategic fit with the network brand that was key to the level of internal brand identification, but it was the level of social identification among owner-managers that provided fertile ground for internal brand commitment to develop.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1080/09593969.2017.1383294
Recommended Citation
Edmund O’Callaghan & John Murray (2017) Internal brand identification as metamorphic glue in the internal branding process within a retailer network, The International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research, 27:5, 533-551, DOI: 10.1080/09593969.2017.1383294
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Publication Details
The International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09593969.2017.1383294
https://doi.org/10.1080/09593969.2017.1383294