Myndigheters varumärkesarbete och demokrati

The aim of this thesis is to better understand branding work in government agencies. What can systematic branding work result in, in a government agency, besides a strong brand in itself? Can it contribute to the democratic mission that government agencies have? Based on background information on government agencies, their mission in terms of communication, their particular characteristics in relation to the private sector; brands and how they are developed; as well as theories in organizational communication, and research on the possibilities and risks of branding work in the public sector, a qualitative case study on the Swedish Patent and Registration Office (PRV) was carried out. The case study consists of a study of PRV’s brand platform, their website as well as an interview with the person responsible for developing the platform. The information gathered during the case study indicates that PRV’s brand work seems to have resulted in a number of positive outcomes. One is, according to the informant, that the organization became more focused on their external stakeholders and their needs, which was one of the aims of their branding work. My conclusion after carrying out the case study and analysing it according to my theoretical framework, is that systematic branding work in government agencies can result in a number of positive outcomes. These include a better balance between stakeholders’ different interests, a more dialogue oriented organization, increased legitimacy and development of the organization as a whole. Also trust in the authority can increase. Branding work and its outcomes can therefore, it seems, positively contribute to government agencies’ democratic mission