The Hindu Business Line : Brand inside

AFTER days and months of sweat, agony and debate, the brand plan eventually takes final shape. The brand management team has addressed every conceivable question and argument to decide what its brand stands for, what's unique and credible about it, what is its identity, what the brand's personality and image would be and so on.

The action then shifts to the market place, and communication activity targeted at the brand's audience happens using relevant media vehicles.

Of course, television is what most marketers and advertising agencies are obsessed with today, and not surprising much of their effort, time and money go into this mass medium. The execution in other media vehicles is usually an adaptation of the TVC idea or an afterthought. But well, that's another story.

Amid all this excitement, the brand's story is not adequately known or sold to other audiences, especially groups within the company. These audiences, as opposed to mass media, are likely to be engaged in a two-way dialogue with the brand's end-user. And nothing can be more critical in the making or breaking of a brand's reputation when the transaction happens in person and communication falls in the arena of real exchange of emotions.

How can the rest of the company and its influencers learn about the brand's stance and its promise? How and what should the tone and conduct of the brand be? How is it to be delivered?

However fundamental it may sound, this has been no small task for even the large, decentralised, multi-location organisations to implement successfully. But the importance of it, of course, has not been lost on many brands that have immensely benefited from doing a great job of `Branding inside.'

In a study of sources of brand favourability, Shell Oil found that interaction and conduct of the company employees had the greatest impact on the brand's favourability. Brands such as McDonalds, Southwest Airlines and Starbucks have ensured that their frontline people are trained and `brand ingrained' to deliver best the `moments of truth.'

The lessons from such internal branding-driven organisations and their success stories are simple — probably too simple for brand owners to take them seriously. That's where the problem lies. Think in your case, when did the CEO/senior management address the company employees at a town hall meeting to espouse and champion your brand's new campaign or initiative? When did your colleagues in production, logistics, purchase, accounts get to participate in the glittering brand launch?

Did the company newsletter have a cover story on the brand and its magical elements? Did the sales team get to know the emotional facets of your brand programme, apart from a comparative analysis with competitor brands?

Just as efforts to build an emotional link with consumers in the market place are critical, similar emotional bridges need to be built among key audience groups within a company. Enthusiastic employees spread enthusiasm to the brand's customers. Weave the brand magic inside as much as outside. If the internal audiences don't get the brand's story, neither will the customers.

S. Suresh Kumar

Director, Mindspark Consulting

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