1. CORPORATE IDENTITY

2. The field of corporate identity is concerned with the notion of the central or distinctive idea of the organization and how this idea is presented to and communicated to a variety of audiences.
The concept of corporate identity refers to how an organization expresses and differentiates itself in relation to its stakeholders.

3. Corporate identity is the sum of visual cues by which the public recognizes the company and differentiates it from others.
Identity is the embodiment of the organization. It is the communication of the core values, philosophy and strategy of the organization through the delivery of its products and services.
Corporate identity articulates what the organization is, what it stands for and what it does.

4. Corporate identity can projects four things:
Who you are
What you do
How you do it
Where you wants to go

5. Originally corporate identity programs are targeted to external stakeholders or audiences, but recently the target has been expanded to include employees.
The economic value of a firm dealing in commoditized products or services is based on generating strong corporate images or corporate brands.

6. Although marketers are often concerned with projecting corporate distinctiveness to the marketplace by means of communication and impression management, some recognize that identity is the foundation of this distinctiveness.

7. Corporate identity is the organization’s presentation of itself to its various stakeholders.
It is projected to stakeholders using a variety of cues and represents how the organization would like to be perceived.
These cues can be orchestrated so that deliberately planned messages are delivered to specific target audiences to achieve particular objectives.

8. Typical of these planned communications are the use of corporate identity programmes, consistent content in advertising messages (British Airways), dress codes and operating procedures (McDonald’s) and polies towards customer contact.
Some of these planned cues will constitute the organzation’s visual identity, that is the design and graphics associated with an organization’s symbols and elements of self-expression.
Other cues will focus on behaviour, the actions of the organization and other form of communication.

9. Visual School of Corporate Identity
The visual school focuses on visible and tangible manifestations of what the company is and on the implications of these manifestations for leadership behavior and the company structure.
The visual school is deeply rooted in graphic design community which is concerned with the creation of a company name, logo, color, trademarks, house style and other elements of the visual identity program.

10. The tangible aspects of corporate identity also include buildings, corporate architecture, design and the decor of retail outlets,and aspects of products and services such as product design and packaging.

11. Strategic school of Corporate Identity
The strategic school focuses on the central idea of the organziation which includes the vision, mission, and philosophy of the company.
In this school, corporate identity is conceptualized as part of the strategic process linking corporate strategy to company image.

12. In communication studies the strategic role of corporate identity is defined in terms of of integrated communication and PR activities.
We argue that the strategic school is shifting the intention of corporate identity programs from helping organization to define “who they are” to helping them project a vision of “what they will become”.

13. Another framing of the corporate identity literature focuses on identity structure and the ways in which corporate identity influences how companies communicate about themselves.
The concept of identity structure articulates the ways in which some companies present subsets of their identity as different product or business lines.

14. Types of Identity Structure
Monolithic Identity, where companies use one name and a consistent visual identity to promote a special idea about themselves (e.g. Shell)
Endorsed Identity; defined as a multi-business identity where companies use a combination of an overall company identity (e.g. Nestle) and a series of business line names (e.g.KitKat, Lyons etc.)
Branded Identity, where companies manifest their identity only at the product brand level, making it less than obvious that all the different brands are related to the same organization (e.g. P & G, Unilever)

15. CORPORATE IMAGE

16. Image is an expression of corporate personality and that coordinated and consistent communication to external and internal publics is fundemental to the management of the corporate image.
Corporate image is composed of all planned and unplanned verbal and visual elements that emanate from the corporate body and leave an impression on the observer.

17. It is the net result of the interaction of all the experiences, beliefs, feelings, knowledge and impressions that people have about a company.
Then corporate image is not what the company believes it to be, but the feelings and beliefs about the company that exist in the mind of its audiences and which arises from experience and observation.

18. In other words, the way stakeholders perceive an organization’s identity cues, shapes an image which is formed in their minds.
Corporate image can be said to be the totality of a stakeholder’s perceptions of the way an organization presents itself, either deliberately (e.g. through planned PR activities) or accidentally (e.g. through comments made by staff or media comment).

19. Since organizations have many various stakeholders, it can not be expected that there will be a single, uniform and consistent image.
In reality these stakeholders may have different images of the same organization.

20. Therefore, image exists in the mind of each stakeholder and can not be managed directly.
Management seeking to influence the image held of their organization can only do so though the management of the corporate identity.
By presented orchestrated cues, images may be repositioned or altered in the minds of the recipients.
Corporate image is what stakeholders perceive the organization to be.

21. It is clear that there is a relationship between culture, identity and image.
Every company has a personality (philosophy, core values, corporate culture, mission etc.) which is defined as the sum total of the characteristics of the organization.
This personality is projected by means of conscious cues which constitute an identity.
The overall impression formed by these cues in the minds of audiences constitutes an image.

22. Every organization has a personality which is then projected as an identity which is different from and greater than the sum of the personalities involved.
What is crucial to the successful communication of corporate identity, so that the perceived image does reflect reality are consistency and congruency.

23. Corporate identity is an assembly of visual cues – physical and behavioural by which an audience can recognize the company and distinguish it from others and which can be used to represent or symbolise the company.
The elements of corporate identity should command instantaneous recognition and should signify the personality of the company.
Recognition can only be assured by consistency and all visual cues need to be congruent with and support each other.

24. LINKING IDENTITY TO IMAGE AND CULTURE

25. Here we would discriminate the key concepts of of identity, image and culture by focusing on their theoretical interdependence or what we call their relational differences.
There are six relational differences that help us to clarify the concept of identity in relation to image and culture.

26. Image Identity Culture Contextual Tacit Emergent External Other
Multiplicity
Internal
Textual
Self
Explicit
Singularity
Instrumental

27. Linking Image to Identity

28. External/Internal Perspective
Corporate identity rests on an internal perspective – that is the perspective of organizational members or insiders.
Identity is constructed largely through a self-referential process that is situated internal to the organization.
In contrast, image rest on an external perspective.

29. Image is largely constructed by external audiences or stakeholders (e
Image is largely constructed by external audiences or stakeholders (e.g. Customers, investors, media etc.).
It is the ways how different external audiences interpret and perceive the organization.

30. Other/Self The starting points for identity and image studies differ.
Organizational identity researchers are typically concerned with how organizational members develop, express and project their organizational sense of self.

31. Organizational image reseacrhers, on the other hand, ask how organizational self-expressions and identity projections (e.g. Orporate identity campaigns) are interpreted and perceived by others.
Identity fundementally addresses “who we are”, whereas image is concerned with either “how we perceive others” and “how we are perceived by others”.

32. Multiplicity/Singularity
In general, image analysis focuses on the multiplicity of audiences likely to form images of the organization and be affected by them or affect the organization with their subsequent reactions or actions.
Here, analysis involves segmenting different audiences (e.g. Customer, community, investor, media, employee or partner) and analyzing how each perceives and judges an organization.
In contrast to image, there is a singularity attributed to corporate identity. The concept of identity refers to a single organization.

33. Linking Identity to Culture

34. Textual/ Contextual
Several reseachers have argued that corporate culture provides local context for addressing the central question of corporate identity ( who are we?) and contributes a great deal of symbolic material to its construction.
Identity involves how we define and experience ourselves and this is influenced by our activites and beliefs which are grounded in cultural assumptions and values.
What we care about and do defines us to ourselves and thereby, to some extent, forges our identity in relation to our culture.

35. The idea that corporate identity is constituted within cultural contexts by organizational members’ reflections on “who we are” opens the way to a narrative view.
In this view, identity is formed by a text or story about “who we are” that is articulated in relation to cultural context.

36. Explicit/Tacit
Corporate identity takes place at a more conscious level.
It involves organizational members being explicit about the existence of an organization and what it means to them to form a relationship with that organization.
In contrast, corporate culture is tacit since cultural assumptions and deeper values are mostly not expressed openly.

37. Instrumental/Emergent
In relation to identity, symbols are often used instrumentally to raise consciousness of a desired organizational self .
This is most significant in corporate identity programs which include different artifacts like name, slogan, graphics, house style, dress code which are then used to communicate the corporate identity.
By contrast, artifacts are symbolic materials used for sense-making purposes within organization and corporate culture emerges from these sense-making activities.

38. HOW CORPORATE IDENTITY WORKS

39. Corporate Reputation Corporate Image Corporate Identity
How the public perperceives the firm
How the firm presents itself
Corporate Identity
Visual Presentation-
Logo,Tagline, color palette, architecture
Corporate Behavior-
Reception, service etc.
Corporate Culture
Corporate
Reputation

40. Corporate culture affects identity, identity affects image, and image builds the reputation over time.
While the bottom half of the model (culture and identity) is within the control of the firm, the top half of the model includes the elements that are ultimately within the control – in the form of perception – of the publics.

41. In order for a corporate identity to move from the firm’s control to the domain of publics, exposure of corporate identity must occur.
This is possible through interpersonal customer contact, but the most widespread exposure is likely to occur through formal mass communication channels such as advertising and public relations.

42. According to this model, corporate identity is the outward presentation of the firm, and a consistent and pleasing corporate identity will produce a positive corporate image.
Over time, consistent impressions of a positive corporate image will produce a positive corporate reputation.
Following this model, a firm has the chance to control its identity and reputation.

43. A corporate reputation is a stakeholder’s overall evaluation of a company over time.
This evaluation is based on the stakeholder’s direct experiences with the company, any other form of communication and symbolism that provides information about the firm’s actions.

44. Characteristics of Corporate Reputation
It is a dynamic concept
It takes time to build and manage
There is a bilateral reltionship between the concepts of corporate reputation and image: corporate reputation is largely dependent on the everday images that people form of an organization

45. It crystallises a company’s perceived ranking in a field of other rivals.
Different stakeholders may have different reputations of the same company based on their own economic, social and personal background.

46. Reputation is more durable than images and may represent a relatively consistent store of goodwill and support in favourable cases (positive reputation) or distrust and avoidance in adverse situations (negative reputation).
Images may be altered quickly as a result of organizational changes or communication programmes whereas reputation requires nurturing through time and image consistency.

47. A corporate reputation is a stakeholder’s overall evaluation of a company over time.
This evaluation is based on the stakeholder’s direct experiences with the company, any other form of communication and symbolism that provides information about the firm’s actions.