Revisiting the corporate image of South African banking institutions

Abstract

This paper summarises the findings of a replication of an earlier study by Van Heerden & Puth (1995), which again confirmed that behavioural and visual identities contribute to the corporate image of South African banking institutions. Perceptions were measured through the same semantic differential used in the 1995 study. Eight factors were identified in the replication study, namely social interaction, service, quality, growth, aesthetic characteristics, activeness, liveliness and reputation. A certain degree of overlap between the two sets of factors (1995 and replication study) was detected. The findings emphasise that banks should nurture social relationships with their customers.