In 1907, AEG appointed Peter Behrens to be what at the time was called ‘Artistic
Consultant’. His job turned out to be the first corporate engagement in the
conscious management of identity. Peter Behrens’s philosophy was simple – the
products, design and communication should express one unified identity. To
accomplish this, he created products, logos, advertising material and company
publications with a consistent, unified design. This unified design and visual
expression of identity make Peter Behrens and AEG the founders of the rationale
behind the identity concept and corporate identity management programmes in
practice. Identity programmes have since been an integral part of marketing.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, this line of thought began to take shape in the
context of brand management, laying the ground for the identity approach. Abratt
(1989) elaborated on the conceptual development of the approach by adding an in-
depth study of the dimensions that link the interior processes (corporate identity)
with the exterior-focused activities (corporate image). A new stream of research
has, especially in a European context, during the 1990s led to a conceptualization
of brand identity, where the interplay between corporate identity, organizational
identity, image and reputation provides the elements for brand identity.
In brand management, the identity construct has grown increasingly popular,
because it is a powerful and complex concept with the potential of strengthening
competitive power significantly. Most companies today build and manage identity
to ensure that the brand identity expresses an exact set of values, capabilities and
unique sales propositions.
Unlike several of the other brand management approaches described in this
book, the conceptualization and evolution of the identity approach in brand
management is primarily practitioner-led. This means that the core definitions
and conceptualization of the identity approach are not the result of a single
comprehensive breakthrough study (as is the case in the consumer-based, the
personality, the relational and the community approaches), but rather based on
practical experience from the use of the identity concept as a management tool.
There are, however, many influential articles and books worth mentioning in
relation to the identity approach. We will refrain from listing the complete
selection but mention two collections that in particular have set the scene in the
recent perspectives on brand identity. The Expressive Organizationby Schultz et
al. (2000) is a selection of articles exploring the identity domain from multiple
academic fields, with the aim of discussing the relational differences between
identity, image and culture in organizations with the aim of clarifying and articu-
lating the theoretical domain of identity (Schultz et al. 2000). Revealing the
Corporation: Perspectives on Identity, Image, Reputation, Corporate Branding,
and Corporate-level Marketing(Balmer and Greyser 2003) is another important
collection guiding the reader through influential classics and contemporary
academic articles shedding light on different perspectives on identity, image,
reputation and corporate branding.
This chapter offers an overview of the essence of the identity approach, by
providing insights into the assumptions, theoretical elements and methodologies
underlying the identity approach. Finally, the chapter describes and discusses the
48 Seven brand approaches