The development and management of a corporate brand is often a stumbling block for companies.  the same business leaders who understand the role of brand when it comes to products, grapple with applying it to the corporation.

Thankfully the brilliant international business school professors Mary Jo Hatch and Majken Schultz have provided some help. Their latest book, Taking Brand Initiative, serves as a culmination of the decade-long research and analysis they’ve conducted on corporate brands.

A particularly useful framework from the book relates to assessing the strength of a corporate brand by determining whether or not there are “Vision-Culture-Image” gaps.  They define Vision as top management’s aspirations for the company; Culture, the organization’s values, behaviors, and attitudes; and Image, the outside world’s overall impression of the company.

By identifying where gaps may lie, companies are in a better position to develop strategies that develop their corporate brands into assets for competitive advantage.  There are some other great tools and frameworks in the book as well as examples from companies like LEGO, Intel, Nissan, and Johnson & Johnson.

I hope those of you who employ a corporate brand approach in your brand portfolios find the book helpful.