The Brand Matrix helps managers identify gaps and align core identity elements, offering a practical tool for building a strong and coherent corporate brand, distinct from frameworks designed for product brands.

The lack of a widely agreed framework to help define and align corporate brand identity constitutes a serious managerial problem and a shortcoming of the academic literature. In response, I developed and introduced the Corporate Brand Identity Matrix (CBIM), which draws upon the relevant literature, enriched by hands-on corporate experience gained by its application in three international corporate branding case studies (Journal of Brand Management, 2013). Corporate brand identity is explored internally and externally by focusing on the “brand core.” The identity Matrix offers academics and managers a theoretical and practical guide to the describing, defining, and aligning of corporate brand identity. It is a tailored alternative to existing frameworks, which have often been designed for product brands, not corporate brands.

The Matrix offers management a structured overview of the corporate identity and clarifies what it is, how it works, and how to build it. The managerial tool guides the definition of the corporate brand identity and its core, a necessary point of reference for those in charged with managing it. Unlike many other frameworks, the Matrix is specifically designed for corporate brand identity, which can be combined with models designed for product brands. The Matrix helps management identify “gaps” and guides aligning key identity elements into a coherent whole – a strong corporate brand. In Professor Greyser and my Harvard Business Review article “What Does Your Corporate Brand Stand for” (2019), this managerial tool kit was presented supported by several case illustrations, such as the Nobel Prize, Trelleborg, Intrum, and Bona.

In the Harvard Business Review article “What Does Your Corporate Brand Stand for” (2019), this managerial tool kit was presented supported by several case illustrations, such as the Nobel Prize, Trelleborg, Intrum, and Bona.