Building brand community membership within organizations: a viable internal branding alternative?

Purpose – This paper seeks to propose and test the appropriateness of a brand community within an internal branding framework. Design/methodology/approach – Using the multidimensional constructs of brand community and the strengths of internal branding strategies, this study explores the theoretical underpinnings of combining the two constructs. Findings – Intraorganizational brand communities are presented as a viable strategic possibility for targeting internal branding participants. Results lend strong support to the need for and efficacy of internal brand communities, and provide an opportunity to examine the strategic synergies of pursuing such a strategy for internal as well as external audiences. Research limitations/implications – The study was delimited to domestic participants. Additional studies are recommended to further test the constructs of brand community membership in an internal brand community. Practical implications – External branding initiatives and communications can be used internally, among employees, to build positive brand associations and brand affinity. Further, implementing an internal brand community can lead to increases in the emotional buy‐in of employees and ultimately could help companies increase the proportion of “champion” employees. Originality/value – The study integrates the research streams of brand community and internal branding and studies the viability of conducting internal branding within a brand community framework.