The cycles of corporate branding: The case of the Lego Company

摘要

To propose a framework for strategic corporate brand management (SCBM) and analyze the case of corporate branding at the Lego Company, Denmark. For a bird's eye view, the paper describes/discusses the following subjects: 1. (A): A new brand strategy for the Lego Company covering: A1: A brief history of the Lego Company's corporate branding process. A2: Lego faces increasing competition. A3: Challenges for the Lego brand. 2. (B): The cycles of corporate branding (CB) covering: B1: First cycle, stating the direction for the brand (February to September 2001). B2: Second cycle, linking vision to culture and corporate image (spring 2001 to February 2002). B3: Third cycle, involving internal and external stakeholders (late 2001 to present). B4: Fourth cycle, integrating behind the brand (July 2002 to present). 3. (C): Conclusions: Managing corporate brands covering: C1: Finding a balance among: stating (external versus internal); involving (heritage versus relevance); integrating (global versus local); and linking (centralization versus decentralization). 4. (D): A framework for SCBM. The paper concludes that: 5. Too many companies underestimate the organizational dynamics that CB entails and the complexity involved in confronting the conflicts of brand management (BM). 6. In pursuing a strong global CB. the managerial challenges quickly move beyond individual business areas and functional departments and into the domain of top management responsibility were the conflicts must ultimately be resolved.