The role of employees in brand definition and promotion

Internal Branding -- Halfway There
Internal branding seems to be the flavor of the moment in the corporate communications field. A number of recent articles in specialized trade publications promote the wisdom of considering the employees during any "rebranding" campaign. Many of these articles or columns suggest this could be done largely by informing the employees about the brand repositioning, and involving them in some fashion in the public announcement.

That logic is solid: Although branding is largely aimed at external audiences, it also has important internal implications. For one, the employees of rebranded companies will need to deliver on the new brand promise - through products, services and behavior - to ensure the integrity of the explicit and implicit brand messages. The behavior implicit in the brand promise - whether it be customer service directives or production quality guidelines - must be clearly laid out for employees. The brand needs to be "operationalized" into clear objectives and roles.

Going a step further, a recent conference on internal branding advocated the benefits of leveraging employees as brand ambassadors. In other words, don't just make sure your employees understand and help deliver the brand, but make them active advocates who promote and demonstrate the key elements of the brand promise.

What's at stake in this internal communication process, most would agree, is the equity of the brand, and by association, the very reputation of the company. So there appears to be acceptance - at least among specialized practitioners within the public relations arena - that in many ways employees are the brand, and should be treated as a priority audience. This is particularly true in the service sector, where most brand contacts - or customer interactions -- occur directly with company employees.

But even taken to its ideal limit, this prevailing modus operandi is based on informing and educating employees, and to some extent, involving them as participants. This approach certainly has merit, but it is enough?

Who Defines the Brand?
Beyond informing and motivating employees, and incorporating some measure of relevant incentives and support, there is the issue of what the brand is. How is the corporate brand being repositioned? What will it stand for? What does the brand promise? What values are inherent in the brand? And most important, how was all this determined? In many cases, the model outlined above implies informing employees about the brand after the brand has been defined and repositioned. Employees are primarily a passive audience, to be informed, and to some extent policed, but not consulted. That is not enough.

Employees as a Key Audience
While it's true it is possible to promote a brand internally with limited insight or consideration for employee values, that is not the easiest or best strategy. A more responsive and inclusive approach will greatly improve the odds of success. Companies can save considerable time and effort (and probably expense) by ensuring a measure of compatibility between their employees and their corporate brand. Brands which are anathema to prevailing employee values are destined to fail, no matter how resonant with the public or well-intentioned. This is the serious flaw in the prevailing logic of focusing on informing employees about the brand as a done deal.

Incorporating the "Internal Reality"
Of course, no brand can be developed solely based on internal values and desires. In fact, it's essential that companies continue to promote an outside-in perspective that focuses on the consumer, not the product or company objective. But this need to be responsive to external forces needs to be balanced with consideration for internal dynamics.

If we accept the accepted premise that customers own the brand, a revised version of this standard might be that employees - who in large part are an intrinsic part of the brand and ultimately responsible for delivering on its promise - also own part of the brand. A credible brand must be based on both the external market forces and "internal reality" of employee culture and values.


Excerpt...published in Feb. 7, 2001 PRWeek
full article...published in Jan./Feb. 2002 Journal of Employee Communication Management

Bernie Charland leads Golin/Harris International's employee communications consulting group, specialising in internal communications, change management and corporate reputation. Bernie has assisted a wide range of clients, across several industries, with a variety of internal communications needs - including mergers and acquisitions, announcements, layoffs, labour negotiations, re-engineering efforts and internal branding.