Corporate rebranding: A conceptual framework that incorporates the brand's social dimension

Research on corporate rebranding has been described as limited, despite its relevance and linkage to business strategy. The literature highlights that an extended theory is, as yet, still to be developed. This research aims to identify the main elements of a corporate rebranding strategy and construct an integrated set of proposition proposals covering both its conceptualisation and implementation, including the social dimension. We have articulated a corporate rebranding theory based on the existing literature and extended via a single organisational case as a precursor to further research. Qualitative and exploratory empirical research was conducted in a leading bank in corporate brand management, with a range of evidence sources resulting from the triangulation method used. The study's findings provide valuable information with which to construct a set of corporate rebranding strategy propositions, adding new principles to those previously extracted from the literature, specifically those related to the development of the brand's social dimension and the potential impact on corporate brand equity. While the empirical methodology used does not allow us to generalise the findings, these are of interest in themselves and suggest the need for further research into the construction of a theory on, and the practice of, corporate rebranding. There is still a need for research that refocuses the corporate rebranding process from the narrow meaning of 'renaming' toward a more sophisticated theory, which would be of use both to academics as well as business managers.