| The Corporate image is a dynamic and profound | | | | modern cooperate identity practices and the marketing |
| affirmation of the nature, culture and structure of an | | | | premise that everything an organization does, and |
| organization. This applies equally to corporations, | | | | does not do, affects the perception of that |
| businesses, government entities, and non-profit | | | | organization and its performance, products, and |
| organizations. The corporate image communicates the | | | | services. These perceptions affect its ability to recruit |
| organization's mission, the professionalism of its | | | | the financial resources, people and partnerships it |
| leadership, the caliber of its employees and its roles | | | | needs to attain its goals and objectives. |
| within the marketing environment or political landscape. | | | | This approach evaluates corporate image from a |
| Every organization has a corporate image, whether it | | | | marketing, rather than a graphic design, perspective. |
| wants one or not. When properly designed and | | | | The premise has two predominant concerns for |
| managed, the corporate image will accurately reflect | | | | companies entering the 21st Century: |
| the level of the organization's commitment to quality, | | | | * an understanding that the corporate image is a major |
| excellence and relationships with its various | | | | strategic concern that can have a direct impact on the |
| constituents including current and potential customers, | | | | level of success the organization achieves through its |
| employees and future staff, competitors, partners, | | | | other marketing and management efforts, and |
| governing bodies, and the general public at large. As a | | | | * an understanding that a coherent corporate image |
| result, the corporate image is a critical concern for | | | | needs to be integrated into the organization at all levels. |
| every organization, one deserving the same attention | | | | Looked at from a marketing perspective, corporate |
| and commitment by senior management as any other | | | | image management becomes an on-going, synergistic |
| vital issue. | | | | management tool, rather than a one-time "corporate |
| Historically, thinking and writing about the subject of | | | | image exercise" as currently practiced by most |
| corporate image has come from the area of graphic | | | | organizations and almost all corporate identity |
| design, with most attention given to name selection, | | | | consultants. Corporate image management, therefore, |
| typography, logo design and usage rules, color palettes, | | | | becomes a comprehensive and all-embracing process |
| uniforms, and marketing collateral. This approach no | | | | that internalizes a new skill set for managing |
| longer suits the global, dynamic, cross-border and | | | | relationships between constituents at all levels in the |
| cross-cultural world in which a growing number of | | | | organization. Its goal is to enable sustainable relationship |
| today's businesses and organizations operate. What is | | | | advantages to be developed with key audiences. |
| needed, instead, is a practice called Corporate Image | | | | Since the process of corporate image management is |
| Management. This is a holistic management discipline | | | | on-going, these relationship management skills are |
| designed to prepare organizations to compete for | | | | applied to all current, prospective and future |
| resources, partners, customers and market share well | | | | relationships. It applies equally to commercial, non-profit |
| into the early years of the 21st Century. | | | | and government organizations. |
| Corporate image management is founded upon | | | | |