Building a services brand: stages, people and orientations

This article examines the services-brand-building process, based on depth interviews with leading-edge brand consultants. A model is posited of the factors involved when building a services brand from scratch. Insights about those involved in the services-brand-building process are provided along with a consideration of the impact of the organisation internal/external orientation. The results show that, in comparison with the goods model, more work is required in terms of organisational culture and internal branding when building services brands. It is recommended that organisations utilise cross-functional teams, a strong customer orientation and a brand-supporting culture to maximise the success of their services brand.