In a world of big promises and increasing skepticism, building a strong corporate brand starts with understanding the truth about your organization.
Ever feel like the world of marketing and advertising has become one big, steroid-infused cheerleading competition? Whether you’re in the airport, in front of the TV, or driving to work, high-powered taglines and marketing messages seem to be everywhere. Just recently, I came across the following chest-beating lines in the span of about one hour: “Unlike any other” (Mercedes), “Experience success” (Salesforce.com), “High performance. Delivered” (Accenture), and “Going beyond expectations” (Malaysia Airlines).
All good, you might say. As branding and marketing professionals, our job is to build brands that create connections with our buyers and help them express themselves, accelerate their careers, and live more exciting and fulfilling lives. Taglines and marketing messages help create the image we want customers to associate with our products consciously and sub-consciously. And, there’s no doubt that the companies using the lines I just listed have had a great deal of business success. Fair enough.
But, with the continued growth of the online world, the marketplace for most products and services is becoming more transparent. Customers are more informed and empowered than ever. They’re sharing information. They have higher expectations for what they buy and the buying experience. They’re getting savvier. And, they’re increasingly skeptical of messages that tell them about the next great thing.
Meanwhile, a similar phenomenon is taking place inside of companies. Employees are sharing more information, expecting more from their employers and from their workplace experience, and becoming more skeptical of big promises from executive management. Many employees have been through corporate initiatives and re-brandings, and have seen enough flavor-of-the-month programs to leave them thinking “yeah, right” when they hear about anything new. This is a big deal. Employees are the tip of the spear when it comes to delivering a great customer experience.
So, the question is—what can your organization do to build a strong brand that connects with both your customers AND your employees, given the evolution of today’s market and workplace? At Siegel+Gale, our answer is simple. Look within and start with the truth.
1. Tap into your company’s culture
Many companies do little to really understand what makes their people tick. In today’s world, knowledge about your culture can be translated into a powerful competitive advantage. Make a concerted effort to truly understand which traits, talents, aspirations, and idiosyncrasies your employees share. Dig down deep into your culture, and use it as a springboard for developing innovative products and serving customers in interesting, new ways.
Take the fast-moving online retailer Zappos as a best-practice example. The company’s CEO, Tony Hsieh, sees culture and the brand as one and the same thing: “At Zappos, our belief is that if you get the culture right, most of the other stuff—like great customer service, or building a great long-term brand, or passionate employees and customers—will happen naturally on its own.”1
Zappos has 10 core values, including “Deliver WOW Through Service,” “Create Fun and A Little Weirdness,” and “Be Adventurous, Creative, and Open-Minded.” The company celebrates its off-beat culture and has built its hiring practices around its distinctive set of values. Potential hires must go through an hour-long “culture interview” before they even interview for their position, and they’re eliminated straightaway if there isn’t a strong cultural fit.2
By finding the right people and giving them the freedom to be themselves and think independently, Zappos empowers its employees to deliver an exceptional customer experience. Customer service representatives go above and beyond on a regular basis—from throwing in free socks with shoe orders to sending flowers to customers. At Zappos, employees do whatever it takes, every day.
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