Friends forgive the little things: different types of employee-brand relationships and their impact on employee brand endorsement
(A2019-9371)

AUTHORS

Matthias Holzer, ZF Friedrichshafen AG; Verena Batt, Leuphana University Lueneburg; Maximilian Palmié, University of St. Gallen

KEYWORDS

employees; identification; relationship

ABSTRACT

Research on internal branding has so far focused on communal employee-brand relationships. Exchange relationships, as another relationship type, have been largely neglected to date. With this paper, we address this research gap. The purpose is to examine whether both communal as well as exchange employee-brand relationships have an influence on employee brand endorsement and whether the two relationship types produce an interaction effect. The findings show that both relationship types influence employees´ brand endorsement and that there is also an interaction effect between the two of them.