Incorporating the creative subject: Branding outside–in through identity incentives
研究一家北美连锁超市如何通过雇佣艺术院校毕业生等创意人才，利用其身份和生活方式来由外而内建设品牌，同时为员工提供身份机会以验证其“创意主体”的自我认知，揭示了身份激励品牌作为新规范控制的双重性质。
This article explores the intersection of branding, identity and control. It develops the notion of identity-incentive branding and links research on the collective-associative construction of occupational identities with work on identity incentives as an engaging form of control. Empirically, we draw on a case study of a North American grocery chain that is known for employing art-school graduates and other creative talents in creative (store artist) and non-creative shop-floor positions. The study shows that the brand is partly built outside–in through association with employees who embody brand-relevant characteristics in their identities and lifestyles. In return, those employees receive identity opportunities to validate their desired sense of self as ‘creative subject’. We discuss the dual nature of identity-incentive branding as neo-normative control and outline its implications for the organization and the employees.