TITLE: Corporate brand identity management in a technological faculty – how brand relationships influence students and companies´ reputations?
KEYWORDS: relationships, corporate brand, identity, management, reputations, higher education
ABSTRACT: The literature recognizes the influence of relationships between companies in identity management. Yet, given the increasingly important role of corporate brands, it is surprising that to date no attempt to evaluate that influence has been made in corporate brand´s identity management. Authors argue that corporate brand´s identity can be developed under a relational perspective using relationships with other recognized brands in order to generate positive reputations in stakeholders. A framework is developed to identify how corporate brands select, develop and invest in relationships with other brands. An empirical qualitative research is designed using a technological higher education institution acting in Portuguese public market. This study is an internal perspective of lecturers/researchers and brand managers. Data is analyzed using qualitative analysis (supported by NVivo9). Results are very encouraging to identity research and to brand management.
