So – you have a shiny new visual identity, and you are ready to launch. The CEO is on board. Check. The style guide is in place. Check. The PR is ready to roll. Check. The hard work is done. Wrong.
A brand platform needs to focus on four perspectives.
- The visual signals we send through our visual language, our signage, our web site and our mar-comms.
- The communications signals we send in our tone of voice, they way to communicate and the channels we use.
- The physical signals we send through our built environs, products and brand artefacts.
- The behaviours we signal through our people and our attitude.
This last perspective is especially critical for a service brand. Aligning the behaviour of your people with the attributes of your brand is one of the most difficult parts of a brand project. As brand and marketing professionals we all understand communications, however often when it comes to change management of people – we need help. And, the reason we need help, is that much of the work falls to your human resources (HR) team. Getting the HR team involved early in a brand project can assist with the smooth integration of the brand.
In working your HR team, add the following to your checklist.
Brand re-enforcement. After the initial launch of the brand it is important to ensure the attributes of the brand are translated into proof-points and actions for your employees. This needs to be reinforced regularly. Consider focusing on a different attribute of your brand every quarter. Brand re-enforcement can include coaching, mentoring and training.
Recruitment and on-boarding. The behaviours you need to exhibit through your people need to be built into the recruitment process. What skills, attitudes and experiences are you looking for? Once a new person starts, it is important that the on-boarding process is heavily influenced by the brand.
Performance, reward and recognition. When people are “on-brand” they should be rewarded and recognised.
Engagement. Provide opportunities for your team to live the brand, and see what others are doing. This involves events, communications and surveys that seek to engage the team and keep the brand fresh.
External assessment. Know what your customers and clients think of your brand, then feed it back to your team. Ensure there are ways to assess individual performance as well as overall perceptions at a corporate level.
Corporate social responsibility. The behaviour of your organisation towards work balance, sustainability, social justice, supporting charities and work conditions (just to name a few) greatly influences the perception of your brand.
We are always on the search for organisations who manage their people brand with the same degree of enthusiasm as their brand communications. If you know of a brand that does this well, let me know. We are currently writing a journal on Identity (to be launched in the next few months) and would love to hear from you as we are still needing a few more case studies.
Originally published on TANK