Internal branding in universities and the lessons learnt from the past: the significance of employee brand support and transformational leadership

Abstract

The paper reviews the literature on the concept of internal branding and its effects in the service sector in general, as well as in UK universities. In addition, the concept of employee brand support is reviewed, discussing the influence of leadership characteristics on internal branding in universities. Employee brand support is a crucial element to successful internal branding activities. A great concern is that the knowledge of internal branding and employee brand support in higher education institutions is based on knowledge imported from the business sector, and more practices should thus be adapted and implemented. It is found that transformation leadership, despite being little researched in the internal branding context, remains the pivotal element to the successful implementation of internal branding, as transformational leadership provides space for intellectual stimulation and consideration of individuals who are present at universities. Potential future research areas for internal branding studies are identified and discussed.

Keywords:

• internal branding
• transformational leadership
• employee brand support
• higher education
• universities
• internal marketing

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. The three types of informal control are self-control, social control and cultural control (Jaworski, 1988). Jaworski (1988, p. 27) explains that: ‘by self-control an individual establishes personal objectives, monitors their attainment and adjusts behavior if off course'. According to the internal branding literature, self-control is sometimes called ongoing individual behavior (Vallaster & de Chernatony, 2006).

2. We thank an anonymous reviewer for highlighting this important discussion.