Major participants and their roles in internal services branding: the hotel industry as an example.

Branding is the foundation of services marketing in the 21st century.A service brand is essentially a promise about the nature of a future experience with a service provider,while the principles of services and goods branding are fairly similar at a conceptual level,the execution of services branding may require different approaches compared with that of packaged goods.Services branding especially places emphasis on overall customer experience,the role of frontline service employees in shaping customer experience,and consistency among many elements,such as service delivery at different"touch points". Therefore,the process of services branding should cover both internal and external influences as essential perspectives.However,the unfortunate reality is that many service companies focus on services branding from the external,or customer perspective and overlook the importance of internal branding amongst internal participants.The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Group has developed one of the most powerful hotel services brands in the world.Based on the rich material about Ritz- Carlton from web search and personal interviews,this paper explores the internal branding model of a hotel service brand.Specifically,it investigates the stages in the internal services branding,who is involved,what roles they play in this process,and what relationship is between internal and external services branding.The Ritz-Carlton case study illustrates that hotel founders or top managers,mid-level managers,and employees are all involved in the internal branding process,and they take on very different roles.The study further shows that the process of internal building consists of three essential stages:the hotel founders or top managers establish and maintain the services brand core value,and practice it;the core value is then transformed into employee personal value through hotel training,communicating and empowering systems,as well as employees' active learning.This stage typically follows a"cognition- compliance- identification- internalization"process;the last stage is one that employees come to"live"the brand.That is,employees show positive attitudes toward their coworkers,customers,and potential customers,etc.Finally,internal and external services branding do not conflict,rather,they are bound together in a"means-ends"relationship.Managers of service organizations outside of those providing hotel services can benefit from the three branding lessons embedded in the Ritz-Carlton case.First,it is important to establish the services brand core value and maintain it in the long run.If the brand core value changes frequently,both the customer and employee perceptions of it will be distorted.Besides,top managers should lead by example.Second,it is vital for hotel managers to transform the brand core value into employees' internal value.However,while management can employ many practices,such as training,to instill in employees the brand value,employees are not simply passive receivers of brand value.In many situations they are active learners,so managers should promote a supportive and positive organizational climate to facilitate employees' active learning.Third,only if the employees truly internalize the services brand core value will they"live"the brand through such actions as serving customers sincerely,helping coworkers voluntarily,and intuiting customers' unstated needs,for example.This study shows how successful internal branding practices,in conjunction with external branding,can create a powerful services brand.Finally,the article discusses the limitations of the current research.