Company identity and marketing: An integrative framework

Contemporary work on company identity has mostly emanated from management and strategy fields. However, there are several possible applications of company identity in the field of marketing. Our paper proposes a new integrative framework linking company identity and marketing performance. Building on 14 key propositions, our model expands the recent notion on the effects of company identity on competitive advantage by unveiling the "black box" of how company identity, as perceived by three key company stakeholders (senior managers, employees, and customers) constitutes the central evaluation of the company by those stakeholders, thus influencing their cognitive, interpretive, and behavioral consequences. Such consequences would help the company to achieve and sustain superior performance. We then offer future research directions and develop a research agenda grounded in the positive/normative, micro/macro, and specialized/integrative taxonomy.