The Corporate Brand Identity and Reputation Matrix – The case of the Nobel Prize

The purpose of this article is to explore corporate brand identity and reputation, with the aim of integrating them into a single managerial framework. The Nobel Prize serves as an in-depth field-based case study, and is analysed using the Corporate Brand Identity and Reputation Matrix (CBIRM), introduced here for the first time. Eight key reputation elements adapted from the literature and enriched by the case study are incorporated within an existing corporate brand identity framework. Among the key findings are structural links outlining essential connections among elements of corporate brand identity and reputation. The new framework provides a structure for managing a corporate/organisational brand. It is a potential tool in the definition, alignment and development of such brands. A limitation is that the communication dimension – the journey from identity to reputation and vice versa – is included, but not explored in detail. The originality of the article is two-fold: first, developing a new integrated framework; and second, refining and applying the framework to a distinctive research study of a specific organisational case, in this instance, the Nobel Prize. Specific quotes from extensive field interviews support the development of the new CBIRM and its broader managerial relevance and applicability.