The creation of a strong brand and the deliverance of perceived service quality are premised by employees' ability to deliver on customer expectations. No consideration has been given, however, to understanding the 'added value' encapsulated in an organisation's brand as a result of the operant resources (skills and knowledge) supplied by the organisation's human capital. This paper, therefore, explores the differential effect that internally oriented initiatives have on an organisation's human capital and its subsequent impact on the organisation's brand, from the employee's perspective. In-depth interviews were conducted with employees across a range of service industries and the results provide an insight into the creation of employee brand commitment. Furthermore, this exploratory study provides a solid platform for future research in this area.Journal of Brand Management (2008) 15, 358-372. doi:10.1057/palgrave.bm.2007.48; published online 7 December 2007 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]