The role of internal branding methods on employees' actions as brand ambassadors
Aho, Viivi; Väyrynen, Elli (2025)
2025
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2025060118936
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2025060118936
Tiivistelmä
The thesis topic was the role of internal branding methods on employees’ actions as brand ambassadors. The core of the research focused on how employees experience the brand and what methods support their role as brand ambassadors. The main research question was: “How can employees increase the brand awareness and foster a positive image during customer interactions?”. Support questions of the thesis were: “How do internal branding and its methods influence employees’ actions as brand ambassadors?”, “What motivates employees to act as brand ambassadors?” and also ‘’How well do employees understand the brand and values in the Company X?’’
The key concepts of the theoretical framework were employee brand equity, internal branding, employee engagement, brand identity, and organizational communication. This thesis was a case study conducted for a tourism company X operating in Lapland, Finland. The research method of the thesis was quantitative research. Data was collected through an online questionnaire created with Google Forms and distributed to the company's employees. The survey aimed to explore how employees perceive the company's brand and its values, what motivates them to act as brand ambassadors, and which areas of internal branding they believe could be improved.
The research findings revealed that most employees felt they understood their role as brand ambassadors and believed their actions improved the customer experience. Customer feedback, supportive work environment, and appreciation were identified as primary motivational factors. Although employees gener-ally recognized the brand and its values, they reported that these principles were not consistently reflected in their day-to-day activities. In particular, employees under 30 and those on fixed-term contracts showed less consistent understanding of strategic objectives and felt they had limited involvement in decision-making. Findings suggested enhancing the visibility of values during orientation, strengthening multichannel internal communication, and adding more structured development discussions to ensure coherent brand messaging and boost employee motivation.
The key concepts of the theoretical framework were employee brand equity, internal branding, employee engagement, brand identity, and organizational communication. This thesis was a case study conducted for a tourism company X operating in Lapland, Finland. The research method of the thesis was quantitative research. Data was collected through an online questionnaire created with Google Forms and distributed to the company's employees. The survey aimed to explore how employees perceive the company's brand and its values, what motivates them to act as brand ambassadors, and which areas of internal branding they believe could be improved.
The research findings revealed that most employees felt they understood their role as brand ambassadors and believed their actions improved the customer experience. Customer feedback, supportive work environment, and appreciation were identified as primary motivational factors. Although employees gener-ally recognized the brand and its values, they reported that these principles were not consistently reflected in their day-to-day activities. In particular, employees under 30 and those on fixed-term contracts showed less consistent understanding of strategic objectives and felt they had limited involvement in decision-making. Findings suggested enhancing the visibility of values during orientation, strengthening multichannel internal communication, and adding more structured development discussions to ensure coherent brand messaging and boost employee motivation.