IV. BRANDING AND
EXTROVERSION CONNECTION AND
RELATION
IV.1. EXTROVERSION IN BRANDING
An extroverted strategy can be transformative. A transformative strategy interacts
with the market and tries to change market conditions actively. This strategy aims
to create new market opportunities in the light of sustainable development, including elements of the conservative and visionary strategy.
Conventional Extroverted Strategy: A company focusing on the conventional extroverted strategy aims at communicating its sustainability commitment to society
in order to differentiate itself from the competitors and to increase its credibility.
Therefore, it seems meaningful to engage more in sustainability that it is obliged to
do by law.
Transformative Extroverted Strategy: The general orientation of transformative extroverted strategy is the same as that of conventional extroverted strategy. However, it aims at positively influencing the basic conditions of corporate sustainability.
A company following this strategy is a driver for corporate sustainability in society
and gains therefore much higher credibility. On the other hand, it is also necessary
to assure through the implementation of sustainability a high maturity in internal
sustainability aspects. The maturity level over all aspects is generally one level higher than in the conventional extroverted strategy. Again, most important are society-related aspects (those that have major impact (positive) on society and those
for which society reacts sensitively to whether they are fulfilled or not).
“The process of branding is inextricably linked to
that of extroversion, as the one depends on the
other. In order to achieve a sustainable extroversion, a company must first work on its branding
strategy, so as to give a concrete image to its target market.”
50
51