INTERNAL BRANDING AS A TOOL TO ENSURE THE EMPLOYEES' BRAND PROMISE DELIVERY

There are, if any, limited studies of internal branding within the hospitality industry despite an increasing interest in building a strong, favorable hotel brand. There is also a dearth of studies attempting to understanding the concept from the employees' perspectives despite their being a targeted audience. The aim of this paper is to investigate internal branding from the employees' perspective, following a case study strategy with mixed methodologies. The qualitative interviews with 32 customer-interface employees were first carried out before a quantitative survey was conducted. The result showed that internal branding influences employees' brand-supporting behavior. Part of its total effect is through its influences on employees' brand identification, commitment, and loyalty. The findings, thus, provide managerial implications in managing their employees in delivering on what is promised to customers by its brand through an effective internal branding program.