Branding is much more than just logos, colours and fonts; it is responsible for shaping consumer perceptions of a business just as much as it is giving the business a recognisable ‘look’. In a business that truly reaps what it sows and acts on what it believes, branding should reflect the internal company culture and in turn, the company culture should reflect the branding.
Everyone’s heard the phrase “it’s what on the inside that counts” and the inner beauty and character of a business can be moulded in line with the brand image and philosophy, ensuring the vision and hard work behind the scenes shines through in everything the company does. But how to do it? It may not be as big a job as you think!
First: clarify your vision
What does your business want to achieve? How will it go about doing it? What’s the end goal, the big picture vision? What values does the organisation hold? Once this is set, all business planning can move forward.
Align branding
Business branding should reflect the company culture character and if it does not, it should be amended to do so. Consumer perceptions should be investigated and understood. Branding, messaging and other marketing communications should be tweaked to ensure the image conveyed matches that of the desired culture.
If a business is a high-end, luxe product with the vision of adding glamour, its branding should be premium, perhaps overstated and its working environment held to high account. If a business is environmentally conscious and works toward sustainability goals as its first priority, its branding should be earthy, its materials recyclable and its image wholesome. Both culture and branding should align so there can be no doubt what the company is looking to do.
Embody the brand from the top down.
Now, the internal work begins. Management must begin to implement and work within the brand values toward the brand vision in a cohesive, obvious way. Internal communications must be coordinated to external branding and any changes in working patterns, processes or environments should be clearly communicated to all employees. HR should be able to cross-reference their employee policies to ensure they meet all the company’s values, and that they all work clearly toward the vision.
Changing a company culture can take time, particularly if staff have worked in the same organisation for a long time. Management must persist in embodying the desired culture in everything they do and taking care to grant staff members the opportunity to adapt and do the same. As it shifts, employee experiences should translate directly to the customer’s experiences, and to the ongoing, optimistic perception that consumers hold of the company as a whole.
‘Living the brand’ may seem like corporate jargon but in truth, it can be hugely powerful in shaping positive experiences with an organisation for all stakeholders. Ben & Jerry’s, well-known for their delectable ice cream, works with employees on various non-food-related projects including river clean-ups, community volunteering and charity fundraising, to instill its social mission (even when it doesn’t impact the bottom line). Brewdog, whose mission is to provide “craft people for the people”, make all of their beer recipes free for download; Innocent Drinks insist on all employees having a sustainability-related responsibility in their job descriptions in order to live up to their “leave it better than you found it” value.
Branding and culture should match: once one is set, the other will follow. Businesses should always do things ‘their’ way – consumers and employees respect this and will follow.