IDENTITY IMAGE & REPUTATION

A corporation’s identity, image and reputation is a tag attached to the corporation which determines its values. The identity and image of a business states how people perceive the Organization. The identity and image of the firm generates a strong reputation for it. The preference of people is based on this identity and image.

Identity is the visual manifestation of the Company’s reality as conveyed through the Organization’s name, logo, motto, products, services, buildings and all other tangible evidences created by the organization and communicated to the various constituencies. The image of the product is a reflection of an organization’s identity. This identity and image is used by the firms to differentiate it’s products from that offered by the competitors. Let’s take the example of Pepsi and Coca-Cola. These two firms provide the same product, which is a Cola drink. But, their identity and image is what really helps them to differentiate their products from that of the competitors. At one time, Coca-Cola promoted their drink, Thumbs up in India as an “Adult’s” drink and indirectly imaged their competitor, Pepsi, as a “Kid’s” drink in order to have a competitive edge.

Some of the important things that contribute positively to corporate identity are:-

· Corporate Vision: The vision encompasses Core values, Philosophies, standards and goals.

· Corporate Branding: It implies the firm’s name and logos. The company value can be influenced significantly by this.

· Consistent Self-presentation: The vision of the Organization should be consistent across all its image, logos and mottos of employee behavior.

In order to manage identity effectively, a firm has to follow a procedure:

1. The firm must conduct an Identity Audit of the Company.

2. The firm has to set its identity objectives.

3. The firm has to develop its name and designs.

4. The firm has to develop prototypes.

5. Now the firm has to launch and communicate its identity.

6. After launch, the plan has to be implemented.

The Alignment of image and identity creates a reputation for the firm. The managers of the company builds, sustains and defends the reputation by shaping a unique identity and projecting a coherent and consistent set of images to the public.

On one end, reputation is a competitive advantage but on the other hand, it can also help companies to weather crisis more effectively. E.g. In 2004, there were contamination claims on Coca-Cola, where people believed that Coke had some pesticide content in them. These claims had come and gone without having any long-term damage on the firm. This was because of the reputation the firm had.

Organizations are indeed abstract systems, but they also represent the social environment of those who work within them. The cultures and identities, both group and individual, formed on the basis of this social environment, must be regarded as the products of construction processes which can only be understood in their full historical, political, social and economic context. Furthermore, it is more realistic to regard the organization as 'an endless process of identifications and divisions’ than as a system with a single organizational identity.


Links:

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m4339/is_2_23/ai_88252993
http://www.wikipedia.org



References

Corporate Communication, Paul .A. Argenti, Fourth edition.