Date Log

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Can Employees Love Their Company Brand: The Role of Internal Branding, Brand Identification, and Brand Citizenship Behavior
Journal of Indonesian Economy and Business,
Vol 41 No 3 (2026): September
Abstract
Introduction/Main Objectives: This study aims to analyze the impact of internal branding on brand identification, investigate how brand identification affects employee brand love and brand citizenship behavior, and examine how employee brand love, in turn, influences brand citizenship behavior. Background Problems: By examining how internal branding and brand identification affect employee brand love and citizenship behavior, companies can better understand how to develop a workforce that is dedicated to the brand's success and highly talented. It highlights the vital connection between brand performance and internal culture. Novelty: Internal branding, brand identification, employee brand love, and its effects on brand citizenship behavior are the main topics of this study. In this study, two distinct components have never been examined before. To understand how employees might promote long-term performance, brand love, and citizenship behavior are examined simultaneously. Every day, workers fulfill their tasks to support the overall functioning of the business. On the other hand, employees benefit the firm by being ready to love the organization's brand as part of the business portfolio. Employees who utilize and love the brand will have consumers' trust. Research Methods: This descriptive research used a survey, distributing questionnaires to employees at the company. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling with the partial least squares method. Finding/Results: This study shows that internal branding will lead to brand identification. Companies with superior brands and the ability to turn their employees into internal consumers need to strengthen their internal branding strategy to develop their brand identity effectively. Conclusion: This research shows that all hypotheses in the research model were supported. A social exchange theory can explain the relationship between variables.
Keywords
Download Citation
Endnote/Zotero/Mendeley (RIS)BibTeX
- Abdelwahab, D., Jiménez, N., San-Martín, S. & Prodanova, J. (2020). Between love and boycott: a story of dual origin brands. Spanish Journal of Marketing ESIC, 24 (3), 377–402.
- Aldousari, A.A., Robertson, A., Yajid, M.S., & Zafar, A. (2017). Impact of employer branding on organization’s performance. Journal of Transnational Management, 22(3), 153-170.
- Amegbe, H., Dzandu, M.D., & Hanu, C. (2021). The role of brand love on bank customers’ Perceptions of corporate social respon¬sibility. International Journal of Bank Marketing, 39 (1), 189–208.
- Avey, J.B., Avolio, B.J., Crossley, C.D. & Luthans, F. (2009). Psychological owner-ship: theoretical extensions, measurement and relation to work outcome. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 30, 173-91.
- Aurand, T.W., Gorchels, L. & Bishop, T.R. (2005). Human resource management’s role in internal branding: an opportunity for cross-functional brand message synergy. Journal of Product & Brand Management, 14 (3), 163–9.
- Bairrada, C. M., Coelho, F. & Coelho, A. (2019). Antecedents and outcomes of Brand love: utilitarian and symbolic Brand qualities. European Journal of Marketing, 52 (3/4), 656–682.
- Biedenbach, G. & Manzhynski,S. (2016). Internal branding and sustainability: investigating perceptions of employees. Journal of Product & Brand Management, 25 (3), 296–306.
- Burmann, C. & Zeplin, S. (2005). Building brand commitment: a behavioral approach to internal brand management. The Journal of Brand Management, 12 (4), 279–300.
- Carroll, B. A. & Ahuvia, A. C. (2006). Some antecedents and outcomes of brand Love. Marketing Letters, 17, 79–89.
- Chang, A., Chiang, H.H. & Han, T.S. (2012). A multilevel investigation of relationships among Brandcentered HRM, Brand psychological ownership, Brand citizenship behaviors, and customer satisfaction. European Journal of Marketing, 46 (5), 626–662.
- Chiang, H.H., Han, T.S, & McConville, D.C. (2020). A multilevel study of brand specific transformational leadership: employee and customer efects. Journal of Brand Management, 27:312–327.
- Dechawatanapaisal, D. (2019). Internal branding and employees’ brand outcomes: Do generational differences and organizational tenure matter?. Industrial and Commercial Training, 51 (4), 209–227.
- Deckop, J.R., Cirka, C.C. & Andersson, L.M. (2003). Doing unto others: the reciprocity of helping behavior in organizations. Journal of Business Ethics, 47 (2), 101-113.
- Deepa, R., & Baral. R. (2022). Is my employee still attracted to me? Understanding the impact of integrated communication and choice of communication channels on employee attraction, Corporate Communi¬cations: An International Journal, 27 (1), 110–126.
- Dhiman, P. & Arora, S. (2023). Employee branding dimensions and brand citizenship behaviour: exploring the role of mediators in the hospitality context. Journal of Product & Brand Management, 32 (1), 124-137.
- Du Preez, R., Bendixen, M. & Abratt, R. (2017). The behavioral consequences of internal brand management among frontline employees. The Journal of Product and Brand Management, 26 (3), 251-261.
- Erkmen, E. (2018). Managing your brand for employees: understanding the role of organizational processes in cultivating employee brand equity. Administrative Sciences, 8 (3), 52.
- Fournier, S. (1998). Consumers and their brands: developing relationship theory in consumer research. Journal of Consumer Research, 24 (4), 343–353.
- Glanfield, K., Ackfeldt, A. & Melewar, T. (2018). Corporate branding’sinfluence on front-line employee and consumer value co-creation in UK household consumer markets. Journal of General Management, 43(2), 63–69.
- Hair, J.F., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J., & Anderson, R. E. (2019). Multivariate Data Analysis. 8th edition. Cengage Learning, United Kingdom
- Han, H., Yu, J., Chua, B.L., Lee, S., & Kim, W. (2019). Impact of core-product and service-encounter quality, attitude, image, trust and love on repurchase: Full-service vs. low-cost carriers in South Korea. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 31 (4), 1588–1608.
- Helm, S.V., Renk, U., & Mishra, A. (2016). Exploring the impact of employees’ self-concept, brand identification, and brand pride on brand citizenship behaviors European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 50 No.1/2, pp. 58-77
- Holzer, M., Batt, V., & Band ruhn, M. (2016). Brand love of employees: What is it? How is it affected? Does it drive employee brand behavior?. In Obal, M., Krey, N., Bushardt, C. (eds) Let us get engaged! Crossing the threshold of marketing’s engagement era. Developments in Marketing Science: Proceedings of the Academy of Marketing Science. Springer, Cham.
- Iyer, P., Davari, A. & Paswan, A. (2018). Determinants of brand performance: the role of internal branding. Journal of Brand Management, 25, 202-2016.
- Kang, J. (2018). Finding desirable post-consumption behaviors: An investigation of luxury value and romantic brand love relationships”, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 30 (9), 2984-3003.
- Kim, S.S., Kim, P.B., Kim, S. & Kruesi, M.A. (2020). An examination of the progressive effects of hotel frontline employees’ brand perceptions on desirable service outcomes. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 84, ( 1-9).
- Kock, N. (2015). Common method bias in PLS-SEM: a full collinearity assessment approach.International Journal of e-Collaboration, 11 (4), 1-10.
- Kwon, S. & Ha, S. (2023). Examining identity- and bond-based hashtag community identification: the moderating role of self-brand connections Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing, 17 (1), 78-93.
- Le, M. T.H. (2021). The impact of brand love on brand loyalty: the moderating role of self-esteem, and social influences. Spanish Journal of Marketing -ESIC, 25 (1), 152–175.
- Liu, G., Ko, W.W. & Chapleo, C. (2017). Managing employee attention and internal branding. Journal of Business Research, 79, 1–11.
- Liu, A.X., Hsu, C.H.C. & Fan, D.X.F. (2020). From brand identity to brand equity: a multilevel analysis of the organization–employee bidirectional effects in upscale hotels. International Journal of Contem-porary Hospitality Management, 32 (7), 2285-2304.
- MacInnis, D. J. (2011). A framework for conceptual contributions in marketing. Journal of Marketing, 75(4), 136-154.a
- Mael, F.A. & Ashforth, B.E. (1992). Alums and their alma mater: a partial test of the reformulated model of brand identification. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 13 (2), 103–23.
- Merrilees, B., Miller, D. & Yakimova, R. (2017). The role of staff engagement in facilitating staff-led value co-creation. Journal of Service Management, 28 (2), 250–264.
- Merrilees, B., Miller, D. & Yakimova, R. (2021). Building brands through internal stakeholder engagement and co-creation. Journal of Product & Brand Management, 30 (6), 806-818.
- Mittal, S., Gupta, V. & Motiani, N. (2022). Examining the linkages between employee brand love, affective commitment, positive word of mouth, and turnover: A social identity theory perspective. IIMB Management Review, 34 (1), 7–17.
- Murrilo, E. & King, C. (2019). Why do employees respond to hospitality talent management? An examination of a Latin American restaurant chain?. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 31 (10), 4021–4042.
- Piehler, R., Schade, M. & Burmann, C. (2019). Employees as a second audience: the effect of external communication on internal brand management outcomes. Journal of Brand Management, 26, 554–460.
- Piehler, R. (2018). Employee’s brand under-standing, commitment, and citizenship behavior: a closer look at the relationships among construct dimension. Journal of Brand Management, 25, 217–234.
- Rahman, R., Langner, T. & Temme, D. (2021). Brand love: a conceptual and empirical investigation of a holistic causal model. Journal of Brand Management, 28, 609-642.
- Rai, A., & Nandy, B. (2021). Employer brand to leverage employees’ intention to stay through sequential mediation model: evidence from Indian. International Journal of Energy Sector Management, 15 (3), 551-565
- Riketta, M. (2008). The causal relation between job attitudes and performance: a meta-analysis of panel studies. Journal of Applied Psychology, 93 (2), 472-481.
- Rodrigues, C. & Rodrigues,P. (2019). Brand love matters to Millennials: the relevance of mystery, sensuality, and intimacy to neo-luxury brands. Journal of Product & Brand Management, 28(7), 830–848.
- Roncha, A. & Radclyffe-Thomas, N. (2016). How TOMS’ ‘one day without shoes’ campaign brings stakeholders together and co-creates value for the brand using Instagram as a platform. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, 20 (3), 300–321.
- Roy, P.,Khandeparkar,K., & Motiani, M. (2016). A lovable personality: The effect of brand personality on brand love. Journal of Brand Management, 23, 97–113
- Sadeghvaziri, F. & Azimi, M. (2022). Employer brand identification: investigating the concept of employer brand identification. Journal of Business Economics, 92, 1–26.
- Saleem, F.Z., & Iglesias, O (2016). Mapping the domain of the fragmented field of internal branding. Journal of Product & Brand Management, 25 (1), 43–57.
- Santos-Vijande, M.L., A.B. del Rio-Lanza, L. Suarez-A A.M. & Diaz-Martin. (2013). The brand management system and service firm competitiveness. Journal of Business Research, 66 (2), 148–157.
- Sekaran, U. & Bougie, R. (2016). Research Methods for Business, 7th edition. Wiley, Chichester West Sussex.
- Smith, D., Jacobson, J. & Rudkowski, J.L. (2021). Employees as influences: measuring employee brand equity in a social media age. Journal of Product and Brand Management, 30 (6), 834–853.
- So, K.K.F., King, C., Sparks, B.A. & Wang, Y. (2013). The influence of customer brand identification on hotel brand evaluation and loyalty development. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 34 (9,), 31-41.
- Tajfel, H., & Turner, J.C. (1979). An integrative theory of intergroup conflict. The Social Psychology of Intergroup Relations, 33 (47), 74.
- Tavassoli, N.T., A. Sorescu, & R. Chandy. (2014). Employee-based brand equity: Why firms with strong brands pay their executives less. Journal of Marketing Research, 51 (6), 676–690.
- Veloutsou, C. & Guzman, F. (2017). The evolution of brand management thinking over the last 25 years is recorded in the product and brand management journal. Journal of Product & Brand Management, 26 (1), 2–12.
- Wallace, E., Torres, P., Augusto, M., & Stefuryn, M. (2022). Do brand relationships on social media motivate young consumers’ value co-creation and willingness to pay? The role of brand love. Journal of Product & Brand Management, 31 (2), 189–205.
- Wang, Y.C., Ryan, B. & Yang, C.E. (2019). Employee brand love and love behaviors: Perspective of social exchange and rational choice.International Journal of Hospitality Management, 77, 458–467.
- Wang, H., Law, K.S., Hackett, R.D., Wang, D. & Chen, Z.X. (2005). Leader-member exchange as a mediator of the relationship between transformational leadership and followers’ performance and organizational citizenship behavior. Academy of Management Journal, 48 (3), 420-32.
- White, C., Tong, E., & Schwartz, M. (2020). From brands to classical music: Broadening and deepening a brand love prototype. Journal of Brand Management, 27, 227–236.
- Yang, J.T., Wan, C.S. & Wu, C.W. (2015). Effect of internal branding on employee brand commitment and behavior in hospitality. Tourism and Hospitality Research, 15 (4), 267–80.
- Zografou, I. &d Galanaki, E. (2024). To “talk the walk” or to “walk the talk”? Employer branding and HRM synergies in small and medium-sized hotels. EuroMed Journal of Business.