The effect of the CEO media coverage on corporate brand equity: evidence from Poland

Research background: Despite increased attention in the literature to the importance of the CEO's brand for companies, understanding of the effect of the CEO brand on the corporate brand remains limited. To contribute to this discussion, this paper investigates different facets of the impact of the CEO brand, and particularly its media coverage, on corporate brand equity. Purpose of the article: This study investigates the relationship between the different aspects of the CEO brand's media coverage and corporate brand equity. Methods: Comprehensive media monitoring in the press and online sourcing of CEOs from the strongest Polish brands were conducted. For three years (2014-2017), media monitoring covered 81 CEOs, resulting in over 44,000 data points for this study. Regression analysis was conducted to determine whether a relationship exists between different facets of the CEO?s personal brand and company brand equity. Findings & value added: This study provides a new perspective on the relationship between the CEO and corporate brands and showcases empirical evidence of the CEO brand's relationship with corporate brand equity. It introduces two relevant and novel variables (CEO brand reach and CEO brand advertising value equivalent [AVE]) to the literature, which have been limited to the number of mentions and its sentiment. Accordingly, this study contributes to the emerging literature of CEO branding within the branding field. Contrary to expectation, the intensity of media coverage alone was not significant. Results indicate that reach and AVE of CEO media exposure are reflected in the corporate brand equity. The study also finds that negative sentiment toward a CEO?s brand negatively affects corporate brand equity. The study adds to the growing stream of literature on the role of CEO brand