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The importance of a strong brand strategy is undeniable. It’s been well documented that brands that have fostered consumer trust over the years do not have to continually work as hard to communicate their reasons to believe or overcome objections. Their built-in sense of history and authenticity automatically generates increased sales and customer retention. The positive financial impact garnered from this type of loyal customer base is measurable and irrefutable. But what about the impacts of internal branding?
Whether employees work behind the scenes or work directly with customers, every single employee on your team impacts multiple customer engagements, so the ripple effects of an internal brand campaigns are even greater. This is especially true with a brand refresh or new brand launch because the stakes are higher.
When your company is investing money and time to build and launch a brand to external audiences, you need every asset to be working in concert — including your human capital. Executing a successful internal brand launch will create a foundation for greater success with your customer-facing brand campaigns.
Here’s why:
Aligns Employees to Your Brand Vision
A brand refresh rarely happens out of the clear blue sky. Generally, something has happened to spur action. Often this will be a merger or acquisition, when employees from multiple disparate brand cultures must unify behind a singular brand vision. Understandably, newly acquired employees will have little understanding of what that vision is, but even legacy employees may not be aware of how the future direction of the brand will change based on a new merger.
If a merger is not the driving force, new product lines, shifting markets, or flagging sales may be behind a decision to update a company’s branding. Whatever the reason, if your brand is going through a refresh, providing employees with the background behind the decision and the vision for the future will help them to understand and align with the mission.
British Petroleum was keenly aware of this when choosing to undergo a brand launch. In addition to the recent purchase of Amoco in 1998, the company was also facing a dramatic shift in the market as consumers were becoming aware of the harmful environmental effects of fossil fuels. They chose to rebrand as BP to unify both teams behind a clear vision to move “beyond petroleum.” Though a future that moved away from fossil fuels could easily have been scary for employees who had built careers around drilling for oil, a survey after the internal brand launch revealed that 90% of employees felt the company was moving in the right direction.
Builds Brand Culture
An internal brand campaign creates a rally cry for employees. It serves as a reference point for team members and helps employees see how small shifts in key attitudes and behaviors can breathe fresh energy into their day-to-day lives.
That was the approach the owners of Aldi’s took when investing in the launch of their fun new brand, Trader Joe’s, in 1958. Though already known for their no-frills grocery stores with little emphasis on branding, the company saw their fledgling new brand differently. Trader Joe’s was to have a focus on happiness, rather than savings — so they committed to creating customs and rituals that could guide employee behavior in their new venture.
Aligning employees to this vision has helped Trader Joe’s build a sense of connection among team members. This sense of connection not only reduces team turnover, it encourages employees to seek internal promotions. The resulting culture also guides future employee hiring decisions and has helped the brand to be recognized as one of the best places to work in the nation.
More importantly, these happy employees deliver joyful service, which serves as the foundation for a cult following that has continued to grow over the years. Though the original Aldi brand is older and more established, Trader Joe’s has built much stronger brand equity and consumer loyalty that is hard for other grocers to beat.
Delivers on Brand Promise
As the Trader Joe’s story shows, communicating a clear brand vision to employees has an impact that extends beyond the company’s walls. When companies invest in internal brand campaigns they create consistency between internal and external brand positioning.
An internal brand campaign creates a platform for employees to stand on when working behind the scenes and when serving customers, guiding all internal and external communications. Whether your company stands for fun, as in the case of Trader Joe’s, or innovation, like Google, clearly communicating your brand internally reminds employees of why they do what they do, and how they should be doing it.
The strong culture that results extends beyond simply performing tasks as expected. According to Edelman, 60% of employees choose to work for a company that is aligned to their values. Work is an important part of our lives, which many people openly talk about with friends and loved ones. When employees see how their actions support and help to achieve the larger brand vision, it creates a greater sense of purpose, turning employees into brand ambassadors, even outside of business hours.
If you are ready for a new brand launch or considering a brand refresh, talk to us to learn more about how to align employees to your vision, build a strong culture, and deliver on your brand promise — starting with an internal brand campaign.
Gigasavvy creates winning creative marketing campaigns and insightful brand strategies that position our clients for long-term success. Connect with us to chat about about how we can help you take your business forward.
