Corporate Brand Identity: A Conceptual Redefinition

Abstract — There is a wide agreement that identity is a multidisciplinary concept. Branding is an identity expression. Although there are some frameworks to assess brand identity there isn’t an accepted definition. The authors consider this a gap in literature and investigate the components to assess brand identity under a holistic approach. Literature was reviewed and reinterpreted under an integrated perspective evolving corporate and brand identity studies. The authors propose a definition and nine components characterizing corporate brand identity: reputation, culture, positioning, personality, relationships network, presentation style, communication, environmental influences and mission. Some are related with internal and others to external facets. The authors are strongly encouraged to test these results empirically towards validity and reliability of the proposed construct