Abstract
This comparative study examined relationships among the extended internal marketing mix
elements and brand recognition and recall in two South African service organisations. The
internal marketing mix elements used to determine their influence on brand recognition and
recall as perceived by customers of car rental companies and stakeholders of the Council for
Medical Schemes (CMS), consisted of people, process, positioning and performance, while
brand recall referred to trustworthiness, overall evaluation and loyalty. Structural equation
modelling was used to analyse the data. The findings of the study indicated that process and
performance are critical for car rental customers to recognise and recall the brand, compared to
CMS stakeholders who perceived people, positioning and performance as important for
recognising the brand and building trustworthy and loyal relationships. Hence, irrespective of the
type of service organisation, the successful implementation of internal marketing programmes is
essential to enhance the brand recognition and recall of these organisations.