Dynamics of Branding - A New Approach

For so long now, marketing communication theories and practices have supported strongly the  concept that creating strong brands adds value to the company's asset sheet.

This is particularly true for large corporations and multinational companies that are "faceless", and have a large workforce, as recognising a product because of its brand association is the way companies stay in business.

However, with smaller companies where personal contact is made with customers, especially in Service Industries, the strongest brand element that should receive a good portion of the advertising budget, is the employee!

How can an employee be considered a brand builder?  If we take the simple definition of a brand, which is normally quoted as "the personality that identifies a product, service or company", this fits in perfectly with the premise that employees should be considered as an important marketing communications tool as well!

To date, I haven't read anywhere in  any marketing literature about employees being considered as part of a company's brand in the sense of traditional branding approaches, so, I pose the following:

• If a company has a workforce made up of long term employees, people that are committed and dedicated to the company, and its products and services,  the customers will subconsciencly feel an attachment to these employees.  This is true especially when they see and work with the same people over and over again, closely and over many years, thus brand awareness, and brand reliability, have been created by the employee; 

• If companies with long term employees, who show genuine care for their customers and provide not only service, but a friendly, reliable and trustworthy approach, then the "brand recall", is created by the employee.

The two scenarios above, are only a few of the analogies that can be considered  in correlation to the traditional approach, and the new approach I am suggesting.

If companies spend some time and money developing their employees by considering them as part of brand building strategies, it would add more value to their generic products and services and give them the edge on their competitors. 

We've seen in many management books that labour turnover is costly, but  what about the cost or damage to the "brand"?

There's nothing like visiting your local service centre to find the same technician that repaired your first piece of equipment many years ago, you know him/her inside out, and so does he/she! 

Or booking your holiday with the consultant that has known where you've  travelled for the last 20 years and knows what you like and don't like, where you've been and haven't been! 

Think about it, branding is not just about logos, symbols and signs, it's also about companies investing in developing their strongest brand - people who will keep customers coming back and happy!

Silence of the Spams

What has happened with communication?

We hated it when our parents would tell their friends something about us, or when relatives where updated on what we did and were doing, or going to do...neighbours would stop us in the street and would ask us how "it" went, and before you know it ...the grapevine came back to slap us in the face and choke us up a bit!

We hated the phone, the backyard fence and people coming over, to get that last bit of gossip for the day!

But thanks to technology and developments in communication, and the ease of access to these, we volunteer this information freely and without second thoughts.

The boss asks us how did "it" go, and we stop, look around, laugh with a smirk on our face and say "ah, so you saw it on my wall aye?".

But somehow, this free volunteering of information, "sound" advice to friends or relatives, business information to colleagues or competitors, has to be reviewed by those dishing it out, to ensure that they won't be "dishing it in".

The telephone limited our communication to the person we were talking to, or to those who dared to eavesdrop. These days, the receiver of our communication is not just one, but hundreds of the people we know, multiplied by hundreds and hundreds of the friends of friends of friends of friends, and some enemies!!

Before you know it, we are "coincidently" getting unsolicited messages and advertising about some item that we can buy or send money for, to improve our lives for the next decade in this mixed-up millennium.

Businesses can't afford to have their employees discussing company issues with friends whilst fertilising crops. No one needs to know the boss is a ratbag, chances are everyone has already guessed that for themselves, no one needs to know whether your company's products are not worth buying.... no one needs to know you will be looking for another job during summer break..... no one needs to see you tagged in a photo with a person you don't want your boss, partner, or spouse to know you know of.... etc. etc....

Before liable and slander suits could start flowing, companies, employees and everyone of a communicable age, should consider silencing the spams, and getting back to the traditional methods of communication, where people got together and exchanged ideas and thoughts in privacy....

.... and not in front of a 15inch portal to the world.