In the marketing literature, branding is defined in different ways. Kotler defined that ‘A brand is emotional and has personality and captures the hearts and the minds of its customers’. From the beginning the term ‘brand’ is used as marketing tool by the organization for the purpose of promoting the company’s offering to the customer and to give the products or services an identity and thereby trying to distinguish themselves from their competitors. These brands are usually in the forms of signs, symbols or words, and now the meaning of this term has evolved into practically anything that concerns identity and reputation.
Brands are among firm’s most valuable assets. Hence making, brand management is a key activity in the organization. Branding is also applicable in other areas, such as human resources, as employees, by their behavior, can contribute to strengthen the brand. Employer branding is an emerging technique which helps develop a positive image of the organization, keeping it as an employer of choice in the minds of existing employees and creating awareness and attraction in potential employees. It is also helpful in creating awareness and boosts company positioning on the minds of stakeholders. It is a wide-ranging organizational strategy which can effectively and efficiently fulfill the organizational goals and objectives. It takes the organizational ideology towards its employees. This helps in retaining current employees and also attracting potential employees. Employer branding strategy is the result of a long term strategy which ensures pursuance of vision of the organization. Employer branding conveys organizational value system, policies and practices, and also conveys level of expectations of employer from employees and vice versa. Number of studies underline the fact that in the potential labour market, a firm that is more concerned about image building influences its workers to think it is a ‘great place to work’. Employer branding is a long-term approach by an organization focused on the organization of perceptions and awareness of employees, new and experienced, skilled and non-skilled, and the associated stakeholders. From the above paragraph it can draw a definition for the term employer branding as ‘Employer branding is a coordinated and integrated effort of an organization to create a positive image about itself as an ideal place to work for and co-create a value proposition to potential employees, and existing ones in particular and also to all the stakeholders in general.’
For citing this article, use:
- Vijayalakshmi, V. (2017). The impact of employer branding on employee attraction and retention.