abhishreshthaa
Abhijeet S
CORPORATE IMAGE
Some people seem to get confused between corporate image and corporate identity. Corporate Identity is a matter of physical recognition while Corporate Image is a matter of mental perception. Corporate identity can contribute to corporate image.
A corporate image develops out of a company's corporate identity and, as a result of people's knowledge and experience of the company. The organisation can seek to influence this image, it cannot control it. Vic Markham describes corporate image in these words: "Everything we buy helps us express our personalities; helps us to say to the world around us: 'This is the kind of person I would like you to think I am.' We buy products to assist us in this projection of our personalities. In effect, we see the mirror image of ourselves in the product we buy.
Image is a reflection of that personality. Corporate bodies project recognisable personalities and people choose between competing brands very largely because the brand reflects their own personalities. Corporate identity, on the other hand, is how one identifies ourself: on one's advertising, on the packaging, on the van sides so that a symbol or logo can be a part of the corporate identity." To sum up therefore, corporate image is what people think about an organisation and corporate identity is how people identify an organisation.
An organisation will have a corporate image whether or not it has made conscious efforts to manage a corporate identity. Since the image is going to be present anyway, it is now universally accepted that organisations should make an effort towards the development of a favourable image through the projection of the chosen corporate identity.
Creating the desired corporate image is not just a matter of giving a face-lift to the company's otherwise sagging identity. It is a matter of firm commitment to a corporate life-style and culture in policy and action. The organisation has to address itself to a variety of publics. Quite often, they have mutually conflicting expectations of the organisation and as a result, they may interpret the message from their particular point of interest. The corporate image, therefore, has to be consistent among all its operation and all its audiences. Hence, the management of corporate image has to be a constant and all-encompassing process.
Some people seem to get confused between corporate image and corporate identity. Corporate Identity is a matter of physical recognition while Corporate Image is a matter of mental perception. Corporate identity can contribute to corporate image.
A corporate image develops out of a company's corporate identity and, as a result of people's knowledge and experience of the company. The organisation can seek to influence this image, it cannot control it. Vic Markham describes corporate image in these words: "Everything we buy helps us express our personalities; helps us to say to the world around us: 'This is the kind of person I would like you to think I am.' We buy products to assist us in this projection of our personalities. In effect, we see the mirror image of ourselves in the product we buy.
Image is a reflection of that personality. Corporate bodies project recognisable personalities and people choose between competing brands very largely because the brand reflects their own personalities. Corporate identity, on the other hand, is how one identifies ourself: on one's advertising, on the packaging, on the van sides so that a symbol or logo can be a part of the corporate identity." To sum up therefore, corporate image is what people think about an organisation and corporate identity is how people identify an organisation.
An organisation will have a corporate image whether or not it has made conscious efforts to manage a corporate identity. Since the image is going to be present anyway, it is now universally accepted that organisations should make an effort towards the development of a favourable image through the projection of the chosen corporate identity.
Creating the desired corporate image is not just a matter of giving a face-lift to the company's otherwise sagging identity. It is a matter of firm commitment to a corporate life-style and culture in policy and action. The organisation has to address itself to a variety of publics. Quite often, they have mutually conflicting expectations of the organisation and as a result, they may interpret the message from their particular point of interest. The corporate image, therefore, has to be consistent among all its operation and all its audiences. Hence, the management of corporate image has to be a constant and all-encompassing process.