Let’s start with a pop quiz:
The most successful organizations — and their subsequent brands — are those that:
- Have a multi-million dollar marketing budget
- Have a culture that is synonymous with their brand promise
- Have a diversified portfolio of products and services.
If you picked #1 or #3, let us know how that works out for you. While #1 is reserved for the Cokes and Targets of the world, many business leaders are disciples of #3 and are convinced that their success is dependent on diversification (also known as “we specialize in everything”).
If you picked #2, you’re a step ahead. Whether you’re an international retailer, a regional manufacturing operation, or a professional services firm down the street, your brand will only achieve its potential when everyone in your organization is part of a culture that is fully aligned with your brand promise. That’s the mark of a healthy, leaderly and responsible brand.
Back in the day, this was referred to as “building brands from the inside out.” While this concept still rings true, its executional requirements have evolved significantly. In the past, it was good enough for business leaders to talk about the fact that the company needed to deliver a customer experience that was “on brand.” In some cases, they went so far as to provide customer service training to teach employees specific service standards.
Fast forward to a day in which consumers’ knowledge, expectations and control are growing by the moment. This begets an environment in which the internal flaws and service shortcomings of an organization can pop to the surface at any time, exposing a gap between inner organizational reality and the external brand promise.
Moreover, we know for a fact today that employees are more and more discerning in their choice of employers and in their expectations surrounding that experience. They need to know what the company stands for. What it is setting out to do in the world. And what their place in that mission looks like. This is culture building, which is the direct route to operational excellence and a brand that is truly believable.
Look around, and you can see the direct connection between well-defined cultures and their highly distinctive brands: Apple vs. Dell. Southwest Airlines vs. United. BMW vs. Cadillac. These are organizations that understand the power of aligning culture, business strategy, and external brand marketing. They are not three linear business tactics. They are one collective strategy.
The good news is that entrepreneurs get this and are building businesses from the ground up based on this trifecta. But how do leaders in established organizations harness this imperative when there are so many competing initiatives going on in the organization?
Uncover your purpose.
This is why your organization exists; its raison d’etre, its heartbeat. It is the highest intention of the work you do.
Know your vision.
This is not one of those benign statements in a matted frame. This is real vision, as defined by leadership and reinforced every day in language, tone and demeanor. It’s the North Star of the organization, and the CEO is the flag bearer.
Establish brand values.
These are not words like “integrity” or “commitment” or “quality”. These are actionable, teachable and distinctive behavioral standards that let employees know what their brand stands for and what it’s striving to become. Employees need to understand how this journey benefits them and what their direct responsibility is in contributing to the organization’s vision.
Connect brand values to the business strategy.
Successful companies use these shared brand values to power its business operations, enhance innovation and set the business apart from competitors. It stands to reason that if everyone in the organization is united by and held accountable to actionable brand values, operational effectiveness is sure to follow.
Execute brand marketing that demonstrates all of the above.
When a company’s organizational health and business strategy are in complete alignment, a resounding brand promise can ensue. This promise can be easily internalized by staffers, because they understand it’s a reflection of them, the culture they’re part of, and the business strategy they help to execute every day.
The journey to building — or in some cases, redefining— a Responsible Brand is not fast, easy or cheap. It starts with the full acknowledgement by leaders that success ultimately depends on their ability to mobilize people toward an organizational vision, inspire innovative product development and service experiences, and craft a brand that delivers uncommon value to their customers. It then demands a long-term investment in each of these three areas, bound by a thoughtful communications strategy that exposes the connectivity of each. The payoff is an organization that is operating at its most profitable and most purposeful self.
