Internal Branding In Gna Case Study

A PROPOSAL ON:

THE EFFECT OF INTERNAL BRANDING ON THE BRAND COMMITMENT OF BANKS IN GHANA. A CASE STUDY OF GCB BANK LIMITED

PRESENTED BY:

PETER OSEI OPPONG

1.1 Introduction

Establishment of companies offering similar products with ranging quality has occasioned the needs for brands today to create differentiation on markets as well as reducing risk for customers regarding their purchase decision (Balmer & Gray 2003; Kapferer 2008). This has become importance since customers do not always have the opportunity to inspect some products before purchase (Grönroos 2007). With this in mind, it has become important to build and manage strong and reliable brands, a task which was initially conducted mainly through external branding

In many cases, corporate brand identity is exclusively associated with some of its dimensions, such as the visual identity, ignoring its complexity and multiple facets (Carley Foster et al., 2010). Carley Foster et al., (2010) suggest that not only tangible aspects of brand identity, such as visual identity, or dimensions that are most directly related to the employees, such as the human resources initiatives, are relevant. By contrast, it is also important that organisations also pay attention to both the customers’ and employees’ needs. Carley Foster et al., (2010) identified the importance of internal branding in their study and suggest that it is essential to create training programmes designed to develop the skills required for deepening client relationships. Carley Foster et al., (2010) opine that banks and organizations in general should pay attention to internal branding since it will foster the bonds between the employees and the organisation, and as a consequence enhance their performance and

(2007) asserts that it is no longer enough for employees to be nice and helpful in the service encounter, more specific brand-oriented behavior of employees is needed to create a more consistent and distinguished brand communication in the service industry. Internal branding processes have been affirmed to remedy a lack of on-brand behavior among employees (Punjaisri et al. 2009a; Foster et al. 2010; Punjaisri & Wilson 2011).
It is however not always easy to implement a successful internal branding process since it may prove to be both complex and costly. Furthermore, the implementation of internal branding processes requires support from several departments within an organization as internal branding processes should stem from a holistic perspective and cannot be managed successfully exclusively in a decentralized approach (de Chernatony et al. 2003; Aurand et al. 2005; de Chernatony & Cottam 2006; Mahnert & Torres