Reviews a paper which offers the findings of interview research into internal marketing (IM) in banking, arguing that IM is an essential basis for brand building in service industries.
This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments.
The article shows that quality of service is central to building brand differentiation within industries that do not produce tangible products. Internal marketing is an effective way of drawing attention to service, and encouraging staff in various ways to give the best of themselves. Four constitutive elements of IM are identified.
The research shows that IM provides a way of including all employees in the creation of the culture and thus brand values of banks. It does suggest, however, that some reward schemes may be unfair and promote negativity. A fair and effective way of incentivising excellent service should thus be further considered.
The paper draws attention to the value of IM in banking, for which there is no universally accepted and adopted approach. It thus encourages future research and discussion on the value of IM.
