Aligning employees with brand strategy

ALIGNING EMPLOYEES WITH BRAND STRATEGY A Point of View Bill Faust Managing Partner @ologie Internal Branding Every year organizations spend millions on extending their brands through external media like advertising and public relations Strong brands, however, also brand from the inside out Because, what good is a brand if your associates don’t know how to deliver on it? Or why they should care? Branding From the Inside Out A strong brand is grounded by a clear purpose and a brand strategy that translates it to internal and external audiences • informs employees about the brand positioning (mindset) • engages associates by helping them understand their role (skill set) associates by making the purpose tangible and meaningful (motivation) This approach ensures consistent delivery of the external brand and strengthens employee engagement a RNAL udienc E T e IN D STRATE N A GY • inspires RNAL AUDIENCE E T EX BR The brand strategy: PURPOSE Brand and Purpose To make life easier and more fun through innovation To enable people to experience the joy of driving To be a relentless ally for every investor To create happiness for people of all ages, wherever To fuel the athlete in everyone To be hospitable To give the freedom to fly To be a place to meet, work, relax, and enjoy To save people money so that they can live better To provide choices for nurturing the body, the community, and the planet Creating Alignment Above all else, internal branding creates alignment across each segment of the employee population: Philosophical Alignment Behavioral Alignment Emotional Alignment (Mindset) (Skill set) (Motivation) About the strategy: About the brand: About their role: Purpose Vision Values Identity Experience Actions Engagement Inspiration Incentive Creating Alignment Bottom line: Strong internal brand alignment is highly linked to business performance And associates want it High associate engagement in a brand can improve employee performance by 20% A global survey on employee engagement shows that: •  3% of employees feel satisfied with their level of engagement today • 92% say they want to improve their performance • 82% want to better understand their company’s vision •  7% want to know what role they can play in helping the company realize its vision Employee Value Proposition Some internal brand programs include a promise to employees That promise is the Employee Value Proposition (EVP) It defines the commitment between employee and company — and strives to balance the needs of both EVP Balance the needs of company and employees Great place to work What’s in it for me? (The reason I work here.) Deliver the brand experience externally What’s expected of me? (My role in delivering the brand promise and executing the business strategy.) Internal Branding: Elements • Tagline or rallying cry – Communicates the “big idea” to associates – Simple and succint with language associates can relate to • Promise statement (Value Proposition) – Expands on the ideas communicated in the tagline – The “give and get” –W  hat the company expects from me (experience) – Balance between rational and emotional benefits •Proof points – An inventory of “reasons to believe” Why is Internal Branding Important? Articulating the value proposition helps us to: • Align people, programs, and practices to: – Support the business and brand strategy – Drive associate perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors • Focus message to associates in a consistent, • Provide clear expectations for associates around: compelling way –W  hat can I to help execute the brand strategy? (desired behaviors and employee expectations) – How I fit into the organization? (my role) – Why I matter? (the reason I work here) Communicating the Brand Strategy Through a systematic approach, a brand strategy can be reinforced at every turn Over time, it grows stronger, even more authentic, and self-reinforcing as it is translated to: FUNCTIONAL TOOLS BEHAVIORAL TOOLS INSPIRATIONAL TOOLS functional TOOLS BEHAVIORAL tools INSPIRATIONal tools click here to see Univita Health’s philosophy video thank you