Stephen A. Greyser

Mats Urde

<article-ideainbrief class="article-ideainbrief">
 <h4 class="ideainbrief-title">Idea in Brief</h4>
 <div class="ideainbrief-contents">
  <h5>The Problem</h5>
  <p>A clear corporate brand identity provides direction and purpose, enhances the standing of products, aids in recruiting and retention, and helps protect a firm’s reputation in times of trouble. But many companies struggle to define their brands.</p>
  <h5>The Tool</h5>
  <p>The corporate brand identity matrix can address that problem by guiding executive teams through a structured set of questions that examine aspects of identity related to the organization’s mission, culture, competences, values, and other defining characteristics.</p>
  <h5>The Application</h5>
  <p>Companies in a range of industries have used the matrix to clarify the relationship between parent and daughter brands; support business development; evaluate targets for acquisition; and reposition their brand image.</p>
 </div>
</article-ideainbrief><p>Companies are extremely good at defining their product brands. Customers, employees, and other stakeholders know exactly what an iPhone is and means. But organizations are often less sure-footed when it comes to the corporate brand. What does the parent company’s name really stand for, and how is it perceived and leveraged in the marketplace and within the company itself?</p>

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<p>While most firms are adept at defining product brands, they&#8217;re less sure-footed with their corporate brands. What exactly does a parent company&#8217;s name represent, and how is it perceived in the marketplace?</p>
<p>A strong corporate identity provides direction and purpose, boosts the standing of products, aids in recruiting, and shores up a firm&#8217;s reputation. To help organizations define theirs, the authors have devised a tool called the <em>corporate brand identity matrix.</em> It guides teams through an examination of the nine components of corporate identity, which include mission, culture, relationships, and core values and promises. Often that exercise reveals broken links between the elements that executives need to align and strengthen.</p>
<p>This article describes how companies have used the matrix to clarify their relationships with daughter brands, retool their identities to support new businesses, revamp their overall image, evaluate targets for acquisition, and more.</p>

What Does Your Corporate Brand Stand For?

While most firms are adept at defining product brands, they’re less sure-footed with their corporate brands. What exactly does a parent company’s name represent, and how is it perceived in the marketplace? A strong corporate identity provides direction and purpose, boosts the standing of products, aids in recruiting, and shores up a firm’s reputation. To help organizations define theirs, the authors have devised a tool called the corporate brand identity matrix. It guides teams through an examination of the nine components of corporate identity, which include mission, culture, relationships, and core values and promises. Often that exercise reveals broken links between the elements that executives need to align and strengthen. This article describes how companies have used the matrix to clarify their relationships with daughter brands, retool their identities to support new businesses, revamp their overall image, evaluate targets for acquisition, and more.

What Does Your Corporate Brand Stand For?

Summary.

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