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Identity and branding were the buzzwords of the 1990s. One survey showed that British marketing managers rated identity more highly than advertising. Yet, the terms are still being confused, and no one knows whether there is even any benefit to the bottom line as a result of identity or branding. Until now Companies spend anywhere between a few thousand and a few million dollars on identity. To the small enterprise, identity is the development of a letterhead and a business card. To the large multinational, identity's most evident manifestation may be on the tails of a fleet of aircraft. Identity can even determine the fate of nations, when it comes to election campaigns. Yet there seem to be two major problems. Few know what identity is, and fewer still know whether having one benefits business performance.
And there is a lot of talk about 'branding'. Is it the solution to all corporate marketing problems, or just a pretender to the crown? In late 1996, I vowed to find out and Corporate Identity: Its Effects on Business Performance became the subject and title of my master's thesis. Two-and-a-half years later, the thesis is completed.
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