Sustainable brand-based innovation: The role of corporate brands in driving sustainable innovation*
6.9. Further research
alongside inductive and deductive ones to innovate in support of the corporate brand’s long-term vitality.
As argued elsewhere (for example, Schultz and Hatch, 2006), corporate brands require a cultural foundation within the organisation. The process of cultural change has been
described in Schultz and Hatch (2006) in terms of cycles of corporate branding. We note that much of this literature focuses on top management’s perspective. We believe that to create and maintain sustainable brands, companies cannot just rely on top management initiatives but should draw on the whole ecosystem (Gyrd-Jones and Kornum, 2012) of the brand consisting internal workgroups and external stakeholders. From a structural perspective, we recommend the encouragement of decentralised processes that encourage flexibility and knowledge sharing among and between internal and external workgroups. A good example of this is the matrix organisational form as practiced by Google and LEGO. The corporate brand can act as an important lever (Uggla, 2006) between these groups by providing a common vision. Strength in the decentralised system can be maintained through a strong focus on communication tools such as narratives and metaphors, ensuring relevant clues to the cultural enactment of delivering on the brand identity and core promises across different professions and subcultures (de Chernatony, 2001; Schultz and Hatch, 2006).
(2010) examine the organisation of innovation efforts in relation to brand positioning at a descriptive level. Our research has focused on brands that pursue radical, market-shaping strategies. What processes are relevant for brands that seek incremental innovation? How do they compare with the model presented in this article? This article addressed internal brand competencies, but as has been argued it is increasingly relevant to look beyond the firm to its broader stakeholder ecosystem. Further research is needed to study the role of corporate brands for those brands that rely on external partners and stakeholders for innovation (Prahalad and Ramaswamy, 2004).
We have raised the issue of brand leadership, where we describe B&O as a leadership brand. Further research could examine the role of leadership: for instance, what is the role of charismatic leaders in sustainable brand-based innovation and how does this compare with values or vision-based leadership that is not entrenched in an individual? What is the role of culture in achieving sustainable brand-based innovation? Finally, our overall focus is on the role of the corporate brand in the creation and maintenance of a sustainable competitive advantage. We have noted the need to focus on internal resources and capabilities, but further research should be carried out to study the configurations of both internal and external
resources and capabilities in relation to the corporate brand and innovation processes. The SBBI framework presents a tool for radical and market-shaping innovation processes that underlines the critical role of the corporate brand in innovation management processes. The key finding is that the brand should be considered an equal partner to the strategic
management of resources and intuitive market orientation. As suggested, it is only through this triumvirate that truly radical innovation can secure long-term brand sustainability.
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