Purpose Internal branding efforts are essential in improving employee performance in services marketing. Drawing on reformulation of attitude theory, this paper aims to contribute to the internal branding literature by positing that while internal brand knowledge (IBK) is essential for transforming brand vision into brand reality, it is not brand knowledge per se but its integration with other brand- and customer-related aspects that drive superior employee performance. In particular, this paper develops a cognitive-affective-behaviour model of internal branding proposing that IBK results in higher levels of employee brand identification (EBI); this sense of identification then motivates employees to engage in both employee-related and brand- and customer-focussed behaviours (i.e. brand citizenship behaviour [BCB] and customer-oriented behaviour [COB]), which in turn foster employee performance. Design/methodology/approach The hypotheses were empirically tested using a sample of 697 from services industry in Vietnam. Findings The findings indicate a sequential mediation model in that employee brand knowledge affects employee performance (both objective and subjective measures) through EBI, BCB and COB. Employee brand knowledge results in higher levels of EBI; this sense of identification then motivates employees to engage in employee-related brand and customer-focussed behaviours (BCB and COB), which in turn foster employee performance. Practical implications Firms should understand that IBK may not directly result in high levels of service performance, and instead should embrace the culture of self-driven positive brand-connection attitudes that motivate employees to engage in BCB and COB that are consistent with their sense of self. Originality/value This study makes a unique contribution to the internal branding literature by unravelling a pathway that integrates employees’ self-related psychological mechanism (EBI) and employee-related brand and customer-focussed behaviours (BCB and COB) through which employee brand knowledge is converted into employee performance.

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Viral marketing is an inexpensive method which has a tremendous impact on consumer purchasing behavior. However, literature about the cognitive, affective, and behavior of people that constitute the essential components of any such strategy is rare. This conceptual paper develops a cognitive-affective-behaviour model of viral marketing via the integration of tie strength, perceptual affinity, emotions. The goal of this paper is to investigate factors affecting to the success of viral advertising. The research implies that tie strength, perceptual affinity, emotions have strong effects on the success of viral advertising. These elements have their own impact on different stages of viral advertising to provide marketers a strong tool with which to develop a great viral campaign.

Sales promotion is an essential tool which leads to real increase in sales and profit. According to previous studies, sales promotions are effective at a cross cultural level when they provide benefits that go hand in hand with those of the promoted product. However, there is no literature state about the different sales promotion consumer benefits influences on its effectiveness at the demographic level (urban verses rural). To address this concern, this paper seeks to explore the congruence framework by analyzing how culture at a demographic group level impacts sales promotion. The objective is to investigate whether cultural differences at this level will have an impact at the effectiveness of sales promotion. This conceptual paper sheds light on the influence of culture in demographic group level in determining the response of consumers to sales promotions. The findings will contribute to the understanding of products and promotion types in the Vietnam retailers. It will also allow manufacturing companies to focus better on their strategies for marketing their products towards the Vietnamese consumer.

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