Corporate Image
The creation of a corporate image is an
exercise in perception management. It is created primarily by marketing
experts who use public relations and other forms of promotion to suggest
a mental picture to the public. A corporate image refers to how a corporation
is perceived. It is a generally accepted image of what a company "stands
for".
Typically, a corporate image is designed to be appealing to the public,
so that the company can spark an interest among consumers, create share
of mind, generate brand equity, and thus facilitate product sales.
A corporation's image is
not solely created by the company: Other contributors to a company's
image could include news media, journalists, labor unions, environmental
organizations, and other NGOs.
Corporate image and product
positioning - A corporate image should be consistent with the positioning
of the company's product. Any incongruence between the overall corporate
image and the positions of individual product offerings will be confusing
to potential customers and will tend to reduce sales revenue.
For example, an oil company
that has the Corporate image of being environmentally unfriendly will
not be successful selling products that they try to position as "green".
A company in such a situation should either: withdraw from the "green
market", invest in promotional activities that will recast their corporate
image in a greener hue, and/or follow a more environmentally friendly
path. A good overall corporate image can be seen as the sum of all the
images associated with the firm's individual product positions.
The corporate name and
[logo] must also be consistent with the overall corporate image. If
you wish to craft a scientific/technical/innovative corporate image
you would not call your company Mystic Sunchild, nor would you use a
logo like the NBC peacock.
Likewise with advertising
themes and distribution partners; they must also be consistent with
your overall corporate image. If, for example, you wish to create a
luxury/high-end corporate image, you should not distribute your products
through Walmart nor use slapstick advertising themes.
A successful corporate
image must also be believable. That is, the image must be relatively
close to your actual behaviors to be credible.
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