Impact of internal branding on student engagement : insights from a South African university

Abstract

This study explores how internal branding affects the levels of engagement with the brand by HEI students. The research setting for this study was the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, (Wits) a leading Commonwealth University in South Africa. Most studies on internal brand focus on employees and have been conducted in the developed word. This study focuses on students as the stakeholder and takes place in an emerging market. Assembling internal branding and student engagement from a theoretical perspective, the findings run counter to the known theory by showing that students can be engaged and loyal to the institution without the University having a formal internal branding program. The lack of internal branding had no impact on academic commitment but has a negative impact on brand engagement. Some reasons for this are suggested.