Corporate rebranding process in the digital age : from linear single-ending process to ongoing life cycle process

Abstract

Digitalization has had a major impact on branding and branding activities with its several different digital channels and digital tools. However, the way digitalization has affected corporate rebranding has received only minor attention in prior literature. No rebranding process model suitable for the digital age business environment has been created before. Thus, this research fulfils the research gap with its aim in creating an empirically validated framework for corporate rebranding process in the digital age. The purpose of this research is to add understanding on corporate rebranding in the digital age.

As the research adds understanding on current corporate rebranding, it takes into account different important features from the current business environment including consumer engagement, brand co-creation, and value co-creation which have been researched within the conceptual framework and within the empirical data of this research. The conceptual framework of this research is combined around the two main concepts of this thesis, corporate rebranding, and digitalization. The empirical data is collected by using qualitative methods, one group interview and two semi-structured interviews.

The theoretical contributions of this research are that the evolutionary corporate rebranding process should be an ongoing life-cycle process in the digital age which is suitable to use in companies regardless of the industry. In this process the company and consumers interactively co-create the brand within a two-way communication approach, which creates value for both parties. As the companies are able to succeed with only evolutionary rebranding, revolutionary rebranding can be used if the companies see it as vital.

Managerial contributions of this research are that companies should practice constant corporate rebranding for their brands with at least minor changes in the brand in order to survive in the current dynamic business environment. Addition to this, companies should include consumers as much as possible to the company branding activities, in order to better understand their needs and perceptions in the brand.

This study focuses mainly on the evolutionary rebranding process perspective in the digital age, which leaves space to the revolutionary rebranding process research in the digital age. Addition to this, as this research concentrated on the company-consumer interactive two-way communication in the corporate rebranding process, it is suggested that also other stakeholders in the interactive two-way communication could be researched.