Lost in translation - The Multinational Corporation’s Corporate Branding Struggle

Abstract: Purpose The purpose of this thesis is to investigate what impact a multinational corporation’s diverse national cultures has on the corporate branding process, in order to further develop practices and theories pertaining to the management of corporate brands. Methodology A qualitative approach with an explorative nature, applied to a single case study with embedded units using pattern matching in the analysis of secondary data, and cross-case synthesis in the analysis of primary data. Theoretical Perspective The literature used has foundation in marketing theory pertaining to corporate branding and corporate brand management. These theories are complemented by organizational theory pertaining to human resource management and theory on national cultural characteristics. Empirical Data The empirical data consists of a pilot study put together from empirical observation, internal documents which were used as secondary data as well as transcribed semi-structured interviews. Conclusions The alignment of a corporate brand identity is crucial in implementing a consistent corporate brand throughout a MNC. Corporate brand identity alignment may be facilitated by examining the national cultural tendencies of the corporate brand.