FALL 2006
“Excuse Me, Your Brand is Showing”

By Tim Pedersen
Principal, Right Brain Branding Consultants

There’s no need to check your zipper, you are fine as you are. Or are you? Proverbial zippers are open the world over, exposing parts of companies that don’t always represent their big picture, or vision. In fact, exposing companies (or parts of) can be a great big shock to many of their customers. The wrong exposure can lead to customer disillusion, disappointment and even brand exodus. Herein lies the opportunity for a company to create and build brand loyalty by creating a brand culture to generate engagement from the inside out.

Living la vida brand
Picture this scenario… Company X comes to you wanting to spend thousands (or hopefully more) on designing marketing materials, advertising and messaging in an effort to develop a recognizable meaning to the world – yet different from all the others - of who they really are. All this needs to communicate what their brand stands for. So where does this become part of the brand message? Is it the logo, design, the slick brochures, the clever and poignant ads? Actually, it’s all of that and more. If I may be so bold as to steal from Malcolm Gladwell’s The Tipping Point, “it’s the little things that can make a big difference” in defining who a company is.

This vision, of making sure everything counts – even the little things - is typically viewed as a corporate directive that may or may not filter down through the ranks, depending on how it is implemented and whether it becomes part of a company’s mantra. It requires strategy, commitment and most importantly, consistency. A winning strategy will have a directive flow from one corner of the company to the other. In other words, this meaning, mantra, culture – call it what you will – is embraced throughout the entire corporation. Disney World is an excellent example. As a doting father of 3, I have been to The Magic Kingdom more times than I care to remember. At the numerous resorts I’ve been to, on and off the grounds, rarely have I passed the CEO in the hallway. I have, however, passed countless housekeeping staff – consistently cheery, hospitable and efficient. The Disney Resort workers are a cut above those at many other resorts I’ve been to; eager to greet and help as you hurriedly pass by with the indispensable diaper bag, leaking drink containers and over-priced whirling souvenirs. As a result, other resorts are now compared to and contrasted by the level of expectation created by our visits to Disney World. That is a brand which shows their brand well, over and over.

Creating a Corporate Culture, and Understanding the Value
An incredibly satisfying moment for me occurs when a client finally understands the benefits to spending resources on building a corporate culture, not just producing a glossy corporate brochure or tweaking the logo. But does this result in bottom line dollars? Undeniably! Differentiation doesn’t stop at the delivery of the branded items.

Think back 10 years ago, pre the advent of Starbucks. Did you imagine yourself gladly handing over $3.65 (and then some) for a cup of joe? Or that there could be airlines like Southwest and Jet Blue which would be raking in profits at a time when others in begging for handouts and dropping out of the sky like flies? Think about how these brands are represented on a daily basis? Would we be engaged in the success of these companies if they had not engaged us by first engaging their employees in a corporate culture that people are proud to represent? These are perfect examples of all the little things adding up to create corporate success. Now, go and think how that applies to you and your company. Do you and your staff have such a culture to be proud of? [Clue - answer should be YES] Can you say the same for your clients?

Engagement
Currently, one of the terms du jour. Truly, this should be one to stay. Engaging customers in your brand becomes easier when your employees are engaged in the company. There is a bit of buzz about the use of a CEO as the brand messenger for a company and whether that is an effective tactic in engagement. It works for Richard Branson, Oprah, Martha Stewart and John Schnatter of Poppa Johns to name a few. What these all have in common is that they were responsible for creating the brands and customers felt a connection to them for that. The latest pink-slipped CEO for brand spokesperson is the quirky Dr. Z for Daimler-Chrysler. I think the American public has a hard time connecting the German accented doctor as the embodiment of legendary Lee Iacocca’s American brand. Iacocca had a great connection with his audience and was able to engage the public with his mission. I think that the commercials and “Ask Dr.Z” promotion are clever, but they did nothing to move cars off the lot.

The opportunities here are priceless and endless in creating value in ourselves as creatives. Don’t let the creativity end in your design, but extend it into the culture of the company. Take the time to understand the type of culture that is present. I have learned that if I talk to the employees of a company that they love to work for, I usually will also. If they are less favorable in their comments about their place of employment, I know that there is internal work to be done