Corporate image is formed through both internal and external influences. Internally, factors like corporate personality, advertising, branding, public relations, and employee behavior shape how audiences view the company. Externally, industry reputation, country of origin, press, and word-of-mouth all impact corporate image. Managing corporate image requires understanding this formation process and communicating the desired identity through various internal and external channels.

1. If image is important for the individual, it is essential for an organisation. Image should be treated as
an asset and should be planned, developed analysed and managed along with other valuable assets.
The right image greatly enhances an organisation’s sphere of influence and is as important as other
assets such as capital, plant and technology.
“The greatest risk to your professional image is the failure to factor image into your business
decisions”. Marilyn Mondejar
Corporate Image
is the picture a company’s audiences have of it. It will be determined by all a company’s actions. The
problem a company faces is that different audiences will interpret a message in different ways. The
management of the corporate image is thus an ongoing task.
Corporate image includes information and inferences about the company as an employer, as a seller,
as an investment and as a corporate citizen. A company will have more than one image depending
on the nature of the interaction it has with the different groups. Since people tend to "humanize"
companies (Bayton, 1959), corporate imagemay also include characteristics often attributed to
humans such as "caring", "friendly", and "ruthless" and so on.
The first step in attempting to influence and manage the corporate image of an organization is to
understand the process by which corporate image is formed. The figure provides a conceptual
framework of the corporate image formation process. The framework suggests that there are
numerous sources that influence and hence affect the image of an organization. These sources can
be broadly classified into two major groups or spheres of influence: a) internal and controllable
sphere of influence; and b) external and noncontrollable sphere of influence
Insert fig.1
Internal Spheres of Influence
Within the internal sphere of influence are atleast five major sources that help form a corporate
image:
a) corporate personality and identity
Corporate Personality and Corporate Identity: Every company has a "personality" which can be
defined as the sum total of the characteristics of that organization. These characteristics can be
quantitative (e.g., size of organization, volume of sales) or qualitative (e.g. reputation, quality of
products and services) in nature; and they serve to distinguish one organization from another.
These qualitative and quantitative characteristics collectively comprise the corporate personality.

2. The term, corporate personality, refers to who and what the company is, rather than how the
company is perceived by the public.
A company also has an "identity" which can be described as an ideal self-image. Ideal self-image is
that image which the company would like the public to hold (Sirgy, 1982).
b) corporate advertising
Corporate advertising seeks to inform and influence the public's attitudes about a company's
actions, characteristics, or viewpointsis a tool often used to deliver this information and, by doing
so, influence stakeholders' image of the corporation
c) brand image
Brand image consists of functional, symbolic and experiential aspects of the product or service (Park,
Jaworski, & MacInnis, 1986) including the influence of product advertising on the brand. Intuitively,
one would expect a significant interaction between brand image and corporate image. This is
especially true for brand names such as Coke or Sony, where the company name (or a part of it) is
also the brand name. In such cases the interaction effect would be maximum.
d) public relations
Public relation programs can be used to project an image of a company that is environmentally
conscious which can do wonders for the company.
e) frontline employee behavior
In many situations, direct contact with frontline employees of the company serves to form
impressions about the company. The courtesy and knowledge of the telephone receptionist, the
efficiency of the service engineer or the sincere concern of a sales manager in dealing with the
complaints of a customer, will help form or reinforce an organization’s image.
External sphere of influence
a) Industry Image
b) Country-of-Origin ImageResearch has shown that knowledge of the country-of-origin
affects both the image of the brand and the company (Darling & Arnold, 1988). This
interaction helps explain the halo effect associated with Japanese cars and German
machinery. Consumers, for example, may form an image that Mitsubishi is a maker of
high quality automobiles just knowing Mitsubishi is a Japanese company without ever
having had direct dealings with the company.
c) Press Reports:
There is also a link between company public relations, press reports and the image of the
company.
d) Word-of-mouth:
Word-of-mouth is personal communications between two or more people. This includes
stakeholder's conversations with family, friends, colleagues, acquaintances, and so on. In
the absence of direct interaction with the organization, the stakeholder may form opinions
and impressions of the organization based on what others say about the company.
Corporate Communication

3. is the process that translates corporate identity into a corporate image. The identity needs to be
communicated to employees, customers, suppliers and shareholders if it is to have any value. The
role of design within this is to visually signify what a company stands for.”
The development of an image should revolve around many things including:
• staff training to help develop a customer service “culture”
• community awards, including Certificates of Merit for sporting and cultural achievement
and Staff Excellence Awards
• school education programs
• Council’s involvement in community activities and events
• the wearing of Corporate uniform by staff
• the wearing of a name badge by staff in all encounters with the public
• the preparation of cost effective, informative and interesting publications. Surveys and the
invitation for public comment, where appropriate, should be included in some of these
publications to evaluate stakeholder interest and to promote community involvement.
Some of the important roles for developing Corporate Image:
1. Role of the General Manager and Directors
i) The General Manager and Directors should rate the enhancement of Company’s corporate
image highly in the day to day running of the organisation and its functions i.e. informing
the customer of what is happening on a weekly or even daily basis
2. The Role of the Customer First Manager in Corporate Image
i) To prepare, develop and review the Corporate Image.
ii) To manage and oversee the implementation of the Strategy
3. The Role of the Communications Officer in Corporate Image
i)To have input into the development and review of the Corporate Image.
ii) To implement those sections of the Strategy and Action Plan which are the responsibility of
the Communications Officer.
iii)To receive information from the various Departments that will, through its dissemination,
improve and enhance the corporate image of the company
4. The Role of Staff in Corporate Image
i) Staff members are at the forefront in liaison with the company’s stakeholders. Each and
every action that is performed by staff members is deemed to be an act of the company.
Therefore, the way the staff deal with customers at the counter, in the field, on the
telephone and in response to written or electronic requests will reflect on the
organisation. As a result they are in the best position to recommend changes to
Management which will benefit both the customer, in the form of superior levels of
service, and the company, by way of time and cost savings
PUBLIC RELATION OF AN ORGANISATION

4. Public relations is a discipline of management that can greatly enhance the
communication process and, therefore, the image of the organization. It is one of the
most important tools in building a
positive corporate image.
Importance of Public Relations of an organization
Public relations enables the community to gain an impression of the organisation and this
perception will be the basis for, and the influencing factor in, establishing the company’s corporate
image.The organisation as an entity, and each individual involved, have important roles to play in
raising the profile of the organisation and achieving good public relations.
The following guidelines are submitted
ii) The management should respect the role of the media to inform the public and
therefore should not expect the media’s view to be always positive and in accordance
with those of Council.
iii) Councillors should be mindful of the public nature of their meetings and of the
expectations the electors have in respect of their chosen representatives.
iv) Company should operate an open access policy. Directors (or in their absence,section
Managers) should supply information to the media when requested in accordance with
various codes, policies and resolutions of the same
v) It is vital to be aware of all the staff members as they being a critical component in
achieving a corporate image.
vi) Regular team meetings need to be set in place to ensure that communication flow
exists. Staff members should be encouraged to strive for excellence in every facet of
their work and should be consulted, not only on ways to improve work performance, but
also to enhance the corporate image through effective public relations in the work
place.
vii) It should also be ensured that knowledge, confidence, a positive attitude and an
appearance that reflects the corporate image are attributes that all staff embrace; not
just those in regular contact with the public.
viii) All the related informations and objectives should be conveyed to staff on a regular
basis through informal discussions with work groups, monthly team meetings
COMPONENTS OF AN INDIVIDUAL IMAGE
In order to create a positive professional image, impression management must effectively
accomplish two tasks: build credibility and maintain authenticity. When you present yourself in a
manner that is both true to self and valued and believed by others, impression management can
yield a host of favorable outcomes for you, your team, and your organization.

5. Everyone in the organisation has a role to play in developing and enhancing the corporate image. It
is essential for a leader to be natural and humane in practice and analysis. The most important goal
is to measure against your own experiences. Very often what makes leaders great is that they could
transcend personal feelings to help a person to see only they can help themselves to be more
productive but also more effective and intelligent.
Keys to enhance Individual Image:
To understand the core competencies and character traits you want people to
associate with you.
Assess how do others currently perceive you.
 Employ appropriate traditional and social identity-based impression management
strategies.
 Pay attention to the balancing act—build credibility while maintaining authenticity.
 If you are the leader in charge, you have the authority to make the decision, but also the
responsibility to do so and take the consequences. Authority and responsibility go hand in
hand.
 Consider carefully before you commit or act and if necessary take extra time to consider the
implications, risks and how to implement strategies. Another one that sounds obvious, but
consistency, integrity, ingenuity and reliability are things that make or break leaders.
 It is important to communicate wisely and never consider it a weakness to ask for help.
When a person is too proud to ask for help it sows the seeds of failure early as when they
cannot ask for help or advise when it is really needed, either emotionally or symbolically as a
way to save face, they lose their ability to act and implement change or strategy, as well as
losing integrity and ability to inspire at one stroke.
 Not only does everyone start somewhere, but no one ever stops learning and expanding in
experience and knowledge. Sometimes we may feel wise and capable but be able to be
stunned at the most simple of insights.
 Know what is going on and stay in touch. Not only within your team, but in the company,
your clients, your suppliers and the general world around you.
 Be proactive. Oddly enough some individuals love or loathe this word. It means being aware
and acting against possible problems and also to make possible opportunities into real
opportunities.
Vital components an individual must inculcate;
 A positive attitude towards, and belief in the organization
 Innovation and creativity in furthering the organization’s objectives

6.  Being accountable for their own performance
 Understanding the importance of their contribution and role in the organization
 Accepting ownership of problems and responsibility for solving them
 To actively seek opportunities to enhance knowledge and experience
 Be respectful of, and helpful to, colleagues and able to openly discuss problems and issues.
Effective corporate branding requires all company employees to adopt and behave according to a company's set of core values. Thus, strong corporate
brands are associated with employees who are closely aligned with the core corporate values. Values are especially important as they are at the core of the
corporate brand, are critical to how service brands differentiate themselves, and can inspire behavioral changes, motivation and commitment.
ADVERTISING AND CORPORATE IMAGE
In an increasingly competitive marketplace, greater emphasis is being placed on brand image
development as the basis for consumer discrimination. Advertising has a central role to play in
developing brand image, whether at the corporate, retail or product level. It informs consumers of
the functional capabilities of the brand while simultaneously imbuing the brand with symbolic
values and meanings relevant to the consumer.
WHAT IS ADVERTISING?
a) A definition
The Advertising Association defines advertising as:
“Any paid for communication in media intended to inform and/or influence one or more people”
Advertising is a direct means of reaching a desired audience at a cost and you can control what is
included in the message and how and when it is delivered.
Advertising plays an important role in an organization, helping to generate revenue and profit by
stimulating sales. Advertising raises market awareness of an organization's products and services
and generates leads for a sales force to follow up. By building a brand image for products,
advertising differentiates the products from competitors and helps to create customer preference. It
also helps to develop a corporate image that builds market confidence and trust in an organization
as a supplier.
To meet the varying demands of their target consumers, advertisers commonly use rational appeal
and emotional appeal in their advertising in an attempt to influence consumer behavior (Chu, 1996)
Kotler (1991) defined rational appeal as rationally oriented purchase stimulated by directly giving
explanations of a product’s advantages. Rational appeal focuses on the benefits consumers may
enjoy. In an advertisement, it emphasize that a product or service could achieve the function and
benefits consumers desire. He defined emotional appeal as the stimulation of consumers’ purchase
intentions by arousing their positive or negative emotions. Positive emotional appeal covers humor,
love, happiness, etc, while negative emotional appeal involves fear, a sense of guilt, and so on.
Corporate Advertising
Corporate Advertising as a basic tool of Public Relations is that broad area of non-product
advertising aim specifically at enhancing company’s image and increasing lacking awareness.
It can be defined as “paid use of media that seeks to benefit the image of the corporation as a whole
rather than its product or services alone”

7. Corporate Advertising is a promotional strategy that is designed to not only interest consumers in
products and services offered by an organization, but also to cultivate a positive reputation among
consumers and others written the business world. The focus of Corporate Advertising is on the
company itself, with the attention to the products produced by the organization being a byproduct
of the advertising effort.
Types of Corporate Advertising
The four types of corporate advertising commonly used by organizations are:
PR Ad
institutionally Ad
corporate Identity Ad
recruitment Ad
PUBLIC RELATIONS AD: it is typically used to improve the company’s relations with labour,
government, customers or even suppliers. Thus, when a company sponsors arts events, programmes
on television or charitable activities, they are engaging in PR. PR Ad is used when a company wishes
to communicate directly with one of its important publics to express its feelings or to enhance its
point of view to that particular audience. They are designed to enhance a company’s general
community citizenship and to create public goodwill.
INSTITUTIONAL AD: otherwise called corporate advertisement
Institutional advertising is marketing designed to promote a company rather than a specific good or
service. It can be designed to make the public more aware of a company or to improve the
reputation and image of an existing company. Depending on the company, this can be a form of
brand advertising.
Institutional Ads serve these purposes amongst others:
To report company’s achievement or accomplishment
To position company competitively in the market place
To reflect a change in corporate personality
To shove up stock prices of companies
To improve employees morale
To avoid communication problems with agents, dealers, suppliers, customers etc.
CORPORATE IDENTITY AD:
this is embarked upon on rare occasion such as when organization decides to change its name, logo,
address, trademark or corporate signature or in case of a merger. When such occasions occur, there
is need for Corporate Identity Advertising, this is to communicate the change to the publics.
RECRUITMENT AD: This is used when the prime objective is to attract employment applications.
Recruitment advertising, also known as Recruitment Communications and Recruitment Agency,
includes all communications used by an organization to attract talent to work within it.
Recruitment advertisements typically have a uniform layout and contain the following elements:
 the job title heading and location
 an explanatory paragraph describing the company, including the Employer Brand
 a description of the position
 entry qualifications

8.  the remuneration package (not always provided by the employer)
 further details and from where application forms may be sought
 Image Advertising:
It is a type of marketing that attempts to improve the company's reputation or increase the
acknowledgment of its importance in relation to its competitors. This ad educates the public about
the company's leadership and market position in an attempt to show the company as a primary
reason a particular industry is prospering or beneficially impacting consumers.
 Opinion, or Advocacy, Advertising:
This corporate advertising is primarily concerned with influencing public opinion on issues of
importance to the company. The ad is educational, and may not even mention the company in a
major way.
Its role is to implement product flow through the channels of distribution; to act as a catalyst in
acquainting the consumer and to induce him to buy the product. Advertising is a device of
persuasive communication through which a prospective industrial buyer becomes aware of the
company and its product. Through the awareness or knowledge thus acquired the buyer shows
interest or liking for the product and finally makes purchases at least on trial basis. One may then say
that the ultimate purpose of advertising is to create sales which of course depends on the functional
relationship between non-personal communication (through advertising messages) and sales.
dvertising as a tool that aids in increasing demand for a product and, thus opens the way for large
scale production at lower cost which ultimately passed on to the consumers in terms of lower price
they pay for the product. Also, it increases the variety and quality of good offered, stimulates
competition in technical progress, subsidizes the press and television services and thus, helps in
providing employment.
What makes a good advertisement?
Determine who the target market is – ratepayers, residents, community groups, stakeholders,
visitors or others.
Use a strong headline which clearly indicates what the advertisement relates to. If room permits,
mention a benefit or make the headline newsworthy.
John Caples, author of “Tested Advertising Methods”, has analysed the top ten most commonly used
words in successful headlines. They are:-
You Your How New Who
Money Now People Want Why
All vital facts are included. A handy checklist is to ask the five “W’s” when writing the copy for your
advertisement – Who, What, When, Where, Why.
All possible objections are answered
Use simple words that your audience understands. Do not use jargon and acronyms. For example –
Instead of Use
adjacent to next to or near to
approximately about
ascertain find out

9. assistance help
behind schedule late
beverage drink
commence start or begin
currently now
endeavour try
in attendance present or there
manufacture make
merchandise goods
prior to before
subsequently later
sufficient enough
terminate end
Use short sentences
Use graphics, diagrams, maps or photographs if appropriate