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People, the 'brand' new channel
The lack of brand understanding by employees is costing big brands millions and small brands
everything. Karl Treacher looks at a fundamental flaw behind the demise and underachievement of
many brands.
Our biggest challenges in effective branding don't come from the W or T in a SWOT matrix, they
come from U and I in the marketing department. Marketers are continuing to make fundamental brand
consistency flaws while the brands that get it right disappear into the distance.
Someone once said that to be a good marketer you need to have the presence of mind and ability to
communicate a solution that quickly gains acceptance and meets success. However to be great
marketer, this solution needs to influence market behaviour both in the short and long term. The
way to do this is often complicated and will involve a combination of sound analytical thinking,
creativity and probably risk taking. From the important perspective of the customer, behavioural
change only ever happens if the messages received are somewhat inspiring and altogether
consistent.
'Inspiring' and 'consistent'. Who would have thought it would be that easy? Well it isn't, and
companies are losing market share this very minute by being uninspiring or even inspiring, yet
inconsistent.
The problem
Consumers change their behaviour only when they believe in something. The most ingenious marketing
idea on the planet won't direct consumer behaviour if the values behind the idea or brand aren't
evident or even pronounced every time the consumer comes in contact with that brand. Concepts like
'message consistent marketing' and 'channel marketing management programs' have recently entered
the ever expanding marketing lexicon to address this issue. Some of models introduced
go far in coordinating and streamlining message consistency, however the one channel that
continues to be the most difficult to communicate values through, is the channel with values of
its own: 'The forgotten channel' - people.
As soon a consumer begins to believe in a brand, because of something they saw on the television,
the net, or received in their mailbox, that brand has more to lose with that consumer than ever
before. With every consumer belief, comes a set of consumer expectations around their experience
with that brand. When a brand fails to meet one or more of those expectations, it risks consumer
resentment and brand dissent. This is made significantly worse when the channel responsible is the
brand's people, as they are the only communication channel that consumers can form a reciprocal
and meaningful relationship with. When the human face of a brand lets a consumer down, it all gets
very personal. We only need to look at Australia's financial institutions and our telecoms to see
how devastating and irreversible this can be.
The Causes
Unaware
The nature of modern marketing focuses heavily on external communication (award winning TVC,
results driven DM etc) and because of this, most marketers are either unaware or ill equipped to
integrate brand values and behaviour into the people of an organisation. In fact most see that as
the job of 'someone' in HR. Whilst dominant external marketing plans can work in industries like
FMCG, where the brand (or relationship with the customer) involves influencing a customer without
any real service element, most industries do have a face to face or interpersonal component that
needs to understand and embrace promoted brand values.
Unqualified
Tertiary marketing qualifications don't educate potential marketers about the techniques required
to instill brand values and subsequent behaviour into a team of employees or client facing staff.
By no fault of their own, marketing graduates and seasoned marketers alike have very little idea
about what an 'effective' internal brand acceptance and brand behaviour program looks like.
Undervalued
Marketing budgets continue to place the 'sexy stuff' first. By this, I mean the conventional
channel favorites; anything that a consumer can 'see, hear or touch'. People development is often
either absent or prioritised to the bottom of the resource management list regardless of its
ability to be 'felt' by a consumer.
Uninspiring
Internal communication programs implemented by the more aware marketing teams often miss the mark.
Unlike much marketing activity, the development of human capital doesn't fit into a 'campaign'
plan. Team away days and particularly the common conference techniques currently used,
serve at best as shallow motivation without scratching the surface of an individual's value
paradigm.
Uncooperative
If the marketing budget won't accommodate people development, other department budgets may.
However the conditioned understanding of the roles and responsibilities of the Sales and Human
Resources function again rarely takes responsibility for brand specific people development.
Further, HR departments universally are renowned for not understanding nor wanting to understand
current business issues, and this includes brand imperatives.
The Solution
Achieving brand and message potency through consistency requires a great deal of collaborative
effort and understanding. With regard to the brand's 'forgotten channel' - its people, marketers
may also be required to manage their egos and question their attachment to their more overt
executions, or 'the new ad campaign' that is due next month. The solution to brand consistency is
bigger than most marketers think and will call on skills and resources that most marketing teams
are unlikely to possess.
So what can you do? The answers lie with brands that have got it right and demonstrate this
everyday. Brands like Virgin Blue, Baker's Delight and MBF. All of the organisations behind these
brands practice some form of staff - based consistency model that involves five key requirements:
1. Support from above - Dedication to culture and human capital
The 'feel' of a brand is often a subconscious impression of its culture. Not surprisingly,
organisational culture development starts at the top. Internal lobbying, evidence-based persuasion
and open communication with the Board or C level executives are the first steps to gaining genuine
acceptance and ultimately integrated brand ownership from any organisation. On your own, you are
doomed.
2. A well defined Brand Identity
Brand identity models are not only a 'funky' tool introduced by your advertising agency to justify
expenditure. They also serve the very important purpose of illustrating elements of your brand,
which can be in turn interpreted and applied to employee values and behaviours.
3. Behavioural and/or psychological understanding and expertise
The human psyche is more complex than any marketing plan or brand strategy ever created.
Understanding the psychological relationship behind human image and personal identity is not a
core skill of most marketers. The employment or engagement of behavioural specialists allows an
organisation to stop guessing about what motivates people and ensures that defined brand values
can be represented in a way that appeals to employee personal values - not just for a day, but
everyday.
4. Interdepartmental cooperation and cohesion
Strengthening the relationship with those that develop your brand's people has to be a priority.
Some of the best results come from organisations that understand that the marketing function and
that of learning and development are just two arms of the same body. Imagine how much more
effective a communication skills workshop would be if it represented your brand's values through
the content and methodology, rather than merely addressing the generic skill component.
5. A commitment to your people as a communication channel
A brand is an organisation's attempt to form a relationship with people (consumers). These people
are more likely to understand and believe in your brand if your people do. Only when human brand
behaviour becomes an integral part of your marketing plan, can you be sure that your brand's
values will speak for themselves.
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