THE INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL PERCEPTION GAPS OF A CORPORATE BRAND IN THE MEDIA INDUSTRY: A CASE OF A RADIO STATION IN TAIWAN

The aim of this research is to explore the brand identity and image of Philharmonic Radio Taipei (PRT) and examine whether the perception gaps exist between different stakeholder groups. Based on the literature review, it seems that there is little empirical research on internal and external perception gaps within the media industry. To address this issue, the three perception gaps in Hatch and Schultzs (2003) Vision-Culture-Image model are studied empirically and PRT is selected as a survey case. By using the Corporate Personality Scale developed by Davies and Chun (2002), it can be seen that the listeners favor the dimension of PRT mostly. Besides, the listeners might noticeably disagree that PRT is masculine and informal. The managers obviously favor the Competence and dimensions but strongly disagree that PRT is informal. The employees significantly favor the dimension as well and distinctly disagree that PRT is informal. To understand the nature and significance of the gaps more thoroughly, t-test is employed to measure the gaps between these stakeholder groups. It could be found that gaps, which derive from the three gaps in Hatch and Schultzs (2003) model, do exist between different stakeholder groups. Thus, the hypotheses may not be supported by the survey results. Compared with Davies and Chuns (2002) research on the services industry, it seems that the survey findings tend to be similar. Gaps do exist and the nature of such gaps may differ as implied in various literatures (Nandan, 2005; Schultz and Hatch, 2003; Hatch and Schultz, 2003; Hatch and Schultz, 2001; Harris and de Chernatony, 2001, de Chernatony, 1999). From the survey results, the widest gap identified in this survey could be the Image-Culture Gap. Thus, reducing this Image-Culture Gap could be the top priority for the management. Compared with the listeners perceptions, the employees tend to think that PRT is more competent, ruthless and masculine. Besides, the employees tend to have a stronger feeling than managers that PRT is ruthless and not chic and agreeable. The managers tend to have a stronger belief than listeners that PRT is competent, masculine and ruthless. Overall, it might be implied that brand identity needs to be based on not only the brands core values but also other stakeholders needs. Besides, the alignment of strategic vision, organizational culture, and stakeholder images might be crucial for a successful corporate branding process. Therefore, any perception gaps may need to be removed or reduced. Third, the management should consider vision, culture, and image simultaneously and make continuous adjustments during the brand management process. This research provides valuable empirical findings for the research of a corporate brand in the media industry. This may be the first time that such gaps have been identified and quantified within the media industry. It might also offer a clear image of the type of person who would listen to PRT