When we are with our client planning for a new branding initiative, we insist that anyone who can derail the project and the subsequent roll-out of the brand is present at major milestones for sign-off. They have to have ownership in order for the brand to have the proper support it needs to have a successful launch.
Those who don’t consider themselves marketing or branding people typically have a difficult time understanding what a brand is and why it needs to be defined, positioned and promoted. After all, marketers are not always the most supportive of other corporate roles that we aren’t engaged with or don’t fully understand, so it makes perfect sense that executives in non-marketing roles would question the validity of brand support.
I have begun explaining branding to executives from an internal perspective, and it has helped many of them grasp the importance. Think of your customers, prospects or brand advocates the same way that you see your own employees and recruits.
The more and better you communicate with them, the more trust you will build with them. Withhold information and they withhold trust. Give them the whole story, and you create trust, even in a crisis. With employees, we communicate why our organization is worthy of them, why it is relevant and how it is different than others in the space. We make decisions that attract and retain staff, and why they would tell a friend that it’s a good place to work. There are other workplaces that are trying to recruit your staff, and you are trying to retain them. We know that we can’t tell them one thing and then do another — they will choose another place who is consistent with both.
This is branding. It is just "internal branding." If they see these efforts working internally, they can see how it will work externally to keep current customers and gain new ones. A brand is a promise to the target. It requires an investment of key executives' time and your attention. Like any initiative — whether it’s an internal safety program, a new employee policy or a change to an operational process — if it’s not supported, it won’t gain traction. Branding is no different — we need those in authority to have skin in the game.
If you’re having a hard time gaining support for programs that position and support the brand you manage, try my approach. Chances are that your key executives do believe in the value of a brand; they just need to view it from a perspective they understand.
