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Internal Branding: Living the Brand
April 2006 | Volume 4 Issue 4
You'll find that this issue on internal branding covers the basics, while at the same time offering some fresh perspectives. Learn about why internal branding is important and how to align it to the business as a whole. Understand the difference between internal branding and internal marketing. If it's current research that interests you, read about internal branding measurement data, in addition to information on some effective channels for internal brand communication. We round out the issue with a thought-provoking analysis on the effectiveness of communication in Ford Motor Co.
Natasha Spring
Executive Editor |
Features
METHOD AND MEASUREMENT
by Ramesh Venkat
A recent Gallup poll showed that 69 percent of employees are disengaged at work. A survey of human resources managers by PricewaterhouseCoopers in the U.K. found that only 26 percent of employees demonstrated brand values in their day-to-day behavior. These figures suggest that internal branding efforts are perhaps not producing the desired effect. "Living the brand" initiatives cannot work when the majority of employees are not tuned in at work. Great brands are built by consistently delivering on the brand promise, which requires employee engagement with that brand.
MARKETING AND BRAND
by Sybil F. Stershic and Debra Semans
Employee engagement, getting employees to "live the brand," gaining employee buy-in—today's managers are trying to wrap their minds around these critical practices through internal marketing and internal branding. But not everyone understands these concepts. You even hear people use the terms interchangeably, even though there are a number of differences between these concepts.
CASE STUDY
by Allan Steinmetz
A November 2005 article in the Detroit News reported that William Clay Ford, Jr., CEO of Ford Motor Co., sent a company-wide audio e-mail to all employees stating that those who could not support the company's drive for innovation should find something else to do.
CHECKLIST
by Simon Covill
Internal branding is alive and well, and continues to evolve as more people realize how powerful it is as a business tool. You may hear it called by different names, such as employer branding, employee branding or employee value propositioning, but whatever the term, it is an important and useful concept.
Columns
by Suzanne Salvo
   
Portraits: Lessons from IABC's member photos
Real people + real deadline = really great people photos. Impossible, you say? Not with today's super-fast digital technology and some easy-to-learn photo-taking know-how.
by Daria Steigman
What Makes a Good Leader?
Characterizing success and how to pursue it
I've been thinking a lot lately about leadership. That's not surprising, as I recently attended the IABC Leadership Institute (LI) in Charlotte, North Carolina. Leadership Institute is a mini International Conference that brings together IABC leaders from around the world to network, learn about chapter management and share best practices.
Case Studies
Industry News
Related Links
Related Links provides additional articles and resources for understanding this month's topic of living the brand. You can also find some of these links alongside each corresponding feature article for quick reference. Links include:
- "Why Are So Many 'Internal Brand' Programmes Such Crap?" by Mark DiSomma
- "An Inside Job: Branding From the Heart of Your Organization," by Karen Post
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Features
Columns
In the next issue...
Two new columns coming soon!
- Point of View—An opinion piece from leading professionals
- Communication in the News—A new slant on the previous column of the same name, with top picks on communication events in the news
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