Internal brand management: introduction to the special issue and directions for future research

This special issue of the Journal of Brand Management has been developed in consideration of the existing gap between the relevance of and research attention to internal brand management (IBM). Despite its relevance, research dealing with brand management in the context of internal stakeholders is still limited. Therefore, we identify five directions for future research after an introduction to the topic. Future research should (1) validate the relevance of IBM, (2) increase the generalizability of IBM research findings, (3) deepen and (4) broaden the IBM framework, and (5) extend methodologies in IBM research. This special issue addresses some of the identified areas for future research by including five articles covering a variety of IBM topics. It is our hope this special issue advances IBM research and encourages researchers to start and continue engaging in research in this important area.