Development of a Process Model for Mission-Driven Corporate Rebranding

Abstract

Big data, AI, geofencing - while the private sector is embracing modern approaches to make its brands even more influential, the third sector is cautiously approaching the idea of branding. Organisations need to engage with their corporate brand to influence their cohesion, credibility and perception of their social mission - in short, to remain competitive. However, there is a lack of appropriate marketing strategies. Previous studies have been based on self-legitimising logics without a scientific basis or provide explanations for individual factors and correlations, but not a holistic corporate rebranding strategy. Nor can it be a solution to impose the models of the private sector on the third sector - the requirements and characteristics of the organisations are too different. For this reason, this literature review first derives a catalog of principles for mission-driven corporate rebranding. The novel findings are compared to previous research and translated into a dedicated process model consisting of five phases and 25 steps. The model is explained using the example of a local African non-profit organisation. The results of this work make it clear that although mission-driven corporate rebranding is highly complex, it can also be mastered by practitioners without major capital investment. The practical process model could even stand up to application in profit-orientated companies and lead to more participation, motivation and communication here as well.

Keywords: corporate rebranding; mission-driven organization; model; nonprofit organization; social entrepreneurship