ALIGNING EMPLOYEES WITH BRAND STRATEGYA Point of View

Bill FaustManaging 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?

A strong brand is grounded by a clear purpose and a brand strategy that translates it to internal and external audiences.

The brand strategy:

• informs employees about the brand positioning (mindset)

• engages associates by helping them understand their role (skill set)

• inspires associates by making the purpose tangible and meaningful (motivation)

This approach ensures consistent delivery of the external brand and strengthens employee engagement.

Branding From the Inside Out

PURPOSE

INTERNAL AUdIENcE

EXTERNAL AUdIENcE

BR

ANd STRATEGY

Brand and Purpose

To make life easier and more fun

through innovation

To be hospitable

To be a relentless ally for every

investor

To be a place to meet, work, relax,

and enjoy

To enable people to experience the joy

of driving

To give the freedom to fly

To create happiness for people of all ages, wherever

To save people money so that they

can live better

To fuel the athlete in everyone

To provide choices for nurturing the body, the community,

and the planet

Creating Alignment

Philosophical Alignment

(Mindset)

About the strategy:

PurposeVisionValues

Behavioral Alignment

(Skill set)

About the brand:

IdentityExperience

Actions

Emotional Alignment (Motivation)

About their role:

EngagementInspirationIncentive

Above all else, internal branding creates alignment across each segment of the employee population:

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:

• 33% 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

• 87% want to know what role they can play in helping the company realize its vision

Creating Alignment

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.

Balance the needs of

company and employees

EVP

Great placeto work

What’s in it for me?(The reason I work here.)

What’s expected of me?(My role in delivering the brand promise

and executing the business strategy.)

deliver the brand experience externally

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” – What 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, compelling way

• Provide clear expectations for associates around:

– What can I do to help execute the brand strategy? (desired behaviors and employee expectations)

– How do I fit into the organization? (my role)

– Why do 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:

1 FUNcTIONAL TOOLS

2 BEHAVIORAL TOOLS

3 INSPIRATIONAL TOOLS

1 FUNcTIONAL TOOLS

2 BEHAVIORAL TOOLS

3 INSPIRATIONAL TOOLS

click here to see Univita Health’s philosophy video

thank you