for instance, suggest, "messages sent by the company's overall business practices and philosophies have communications dimensions.... its mission, hiring practices, philanthropies, corporate culture, and practice of responding to inquiries all send messages that confirm, strengthen, or weaken brand relationships." Duncan and Moriarty (1998) further suggest that the implications of "everything sends a message" is that brand messages must be strategically consistent, and that there is a focus on other stakeholders beyond customers. To further highlight the link between IMC and brand orientation, we note that the focus of brand orientation is also on creating brand distinctiveness.