The impact of internal brand management on employee job satisfaction, brand commitment and intention to stay

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to examine the extent to which internal brand management (IBM), a subset of internal marketing, impacts on the three dimensions of job satisfaction (JS), brand commitment (BC) and intention to stay (IS). Design/methodology/approach - A financial services company in Southern Africa was selected using convenience sampling. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was used to identify the dimensions of IBM, BC, JS and IS. Partial least squares path modeling was used to test the model and the hypotheses. The Mann-Whitney test was used to identify any statistically significant differences between frontline staff and management/support staff. Findings - The EFA of the components of IBM did not yield the three expected dimensions. For service staff, IBM significantly contributes to JS, BC and IS. Internal brand communication is the most important contributor to IBM. Research limitations/implications - In common with others, this research uses a limited sample size in a specific geographic location. The results may differ if replicated in other geographies or organizations. Practical implications - Executives and managers of financial service firms are advised to drive focussed IBM practices rather than waiting for it to become the passive consequence of human resource management. Originality/value - Given the paucity of research into the practical application of IBM, the purpose of this research is to explore the impact of IBM on frontline employees in the financial services industry.