The Informal Corporate Identity Communication Process

Abstract

An informal corporate identity communication process model is developed to give theoretical foundation to the implicit assumption that everything the firm does communicates. Existing theories within the framework of corporate identity are reviewed, highlighting their contributions to theory but stressing their weaknesses in explicating the informal presentation of corporate identity. An ethological theory of non-verbal behaviour is drawn and deployed to provide theoretical foundation for the development of this model. It is hoped that this conceptual study will broaden existing discourse in corporate marketing literature by providing a useful medium through which work on corporate identity formation process could be further explored.

Keywords: Corporate identity, what the firm does, corporate communications