The slogan as part of the corporate visual identity (CVI) of multinational firms : Associations between industry, market and country of brand in terms of the slogan usage and adjustments in foreign markets

Abstract: Purpose: This paper aims to examine the association between two market environment factors (industry and nature of market) during the usage of the slogan as part of the corporate visual identity (CVI) of a multinational firm in the domestic market and adjustments of the slogan when firms enter a foreign market. Moreover, this thesis tries to broaden the knowledge about the slogan as an extrinsic brand of origin (BO) cue (in terms of the language). Methodology & Approach: Applying a deductive approach, a mixed method research has been chosen as research strategy, combining methods of both quantitative (content analysis via websites, N=329) and qualitative (semi-structured interviews, N=3) research strategies. Findings: Less than half of the observed sample (42.6%) uses a slogan as a tool for marketing and branding. The industry is significantly associated with the decision whether a company should use a slogan in their CVI. Furthermore, the factors industry and the market (B2B or B2C) are significantly associated with the decision of a slogan adjustment when firms internationalize. Besides that, the concept of country of origin (COO) does not play a significant role in the context of a slogan strategy as many firms mainly adjust the slogan to the foreign language when entering the foreign market. Qualitative interviews revealed that the COO concept depends on the country image and the industry. Moreover, a great share of English slogans in the primal state was found during the content analysis, which have been identified as more unlikely to be adjusted in foreign markets. Research limitations: The amount of the investigated companies as well as taking only one foreign market for each of the companies into consideration limited the sample. Moreover this observation was taken at a present point in time, neglecting possible causes and developments over time. Managerial implications: The findings demonstrated that it is crucial for managers in the context of the slogan to consider the market environments (i.e. industry, nature of market) when they enter a foreign market and when they create one in the domestic market. English slogans might be able to be transferred unchanged to the foreign market. In essence, some industries could trigger benefits by showing their origins in the slogan via their native language. Originality/value: As one of the first papers, the concept of CVI and COO has been combined, focusing on the slogan as an extrinsic cue for customers. Analyzing global companies (N=329) and conducting 3 in-depth interviews as a follow-up, several factors as associations to the usage of slogans and possible adjustments when entering a foreign market have been investigated.