Global Insights Magazine Issue 16 - Edited by OZ Branding 2014
The Brand Promise & Branding In
Inside this issue
A platform for continuous growth and improvement
2 4 6 10 What is your brand promise?
Branding out & branding in
The branding in method
The sum of the parts makes a (new) whole
Looking at the brand from the inside out
Ensuring that your promise is kept
Including employees who take part in the branding in process
Merging teams into one brand promise
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So Yoav
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Dina Gidron
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Miri Peled
Orit Oz
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What's your brand promise Much has been written about the strength of a brand,
ensure that you stay true to the values underlying
about your product or service as a brand, about the
that promise to leverage your competitive
premium your customers will pay if you bring real
advantages.
value to them, and about the loyalty you gain that strengthens your company's stability.
What exactly is your brand promise? "A brand promise is everything a brand is, everything it does,
This magazine is dedicated to the brand promise and
everything it stands for, and every way it affects the life
what we call “branding in.” We will be looking at the
of the consumer” (William J. McEwen with Jennifer
brand from the inside out. We’ll see how the brand
Robison, Gallup Business Journal).
promise can be used as a tool and as a platform to build and strengthen your company through internal
It’s the commitment you make to your customers,
processes that align with your marketing efforts.
and by extension, the value you create in their world.
When you see your brand as a promise, you will
And we believe it is also the glue that gives meaning
realize that your employees are the promise keepers.
and adds value to your employees, your teams, and
By connecting management and employees across
your whole organization.
the entire organization to your brand promise, you
2
Happy reading :) The OZ Branding Team
Sales team
There are countless contact points between your brand and its ecosystem.
Distributors Tech support Exhibitions Dealers Social media Magazines Seminars
Customer service Employees Conferences Suppliers Store shelves Company trucks And many more...
Marketing materials Websites
" Every time you keep the promise, you strengthen your brand... " Monica Skipper, Director, FedEx Global Brand Management The Philips brand promise: Delivering "sense and simplicity" Philips is more than just a company name — it’s a brand that promises an experience to people. Whether it was lighting lives in 1891 when we introduced our first incandescent light bulb, to saving lives with the HeartStart defibrillator, people have always been at the heart of Philips. Prior to the launch of “sense and simplicity,” we did not have a consistent way within our organization to deliver a one-Philips brand experience to customers. The launch of our brand promise — “sense and simplicity” — in 2004 was an important milestone in our brand journey. This step guided the organization to deliver a consistent, differentiated brand experience; helping us to build our brand in the hearts and minds of people. This brand promise encapsulates our commitment to deliver solutions that are advanced, easy to use, and designed around the needs of all our users and customers.
Philips.com 3
The market
Branding out
The connection between branding out and branding in
Brand Promise
Operations & logistics
Marketing
Sales Products & services
Quality assurance
HR
How do you ensure that your promise is kept at every contact point?
4
Finance
R&D
How do you help all employees understand they play a crucial role in the success of the company?
The organization
Branding in
The
IT
How do you connect all employees to the meaning behind the promise?
"Go Further" Brand Message Is Aimed at Ford's Employees, Too | by Dale Buss, Forbes
For the full article, see- http://www.forbes.com/
Sarah Tatchio, manager of global integrated
sites/dalebuss/2012/06/14/go-further-brand-
communications for Ford, explained that the
message-is-aimed-at-fords-employees-too/
goal is to make “Go Further” important to Ford employees — “not something else I have to do but
Ford’s new branding effort has two important
really who we are, and giving a voice to it. Like, I’m
audiences: the world of car buyers — and Ford
going further when I make a certain decision or do
employees. So when the company urges all within
something for this customer. It’s a slightly different
hearing to “Go Further,” it’s not just appealing to
framework for thinking about things.”
consumers in America or China to take that extra step and check out a Ford vehicle; and it’s not just
To succeed … programs such as “Go Further”
promising that new Ford models will exceed their
must begin by making sure every constituency
expectations.
in the company is fully apprised of the common platform and expectations about it; then break it
The company is exhorting its 166,000 worldwide
down to help individual employees understand
employees to “Go Further,” too, because
what it means for them in their roles; then
executives believe that making Ford’s “internal
obtain commitments from employees and
brand” consistent with its new external messaging
begin measuring behaviors that will indicate
can create profound synergies that benefit the
the internal branding effort is taking hold; and,
company in significant ways.
finally, seriously recognize and reward the desired behaviors.
“What we aim to do is inspire behavior,” Matt VanDyke, Ford’s director of global
An added important element for Ford is that “Go
communications, told me. “Go Further” is
Further” has become its global rallying cry, so the
“more than an advertising tagline. We want to
internal-branding campaign has to be translatable
institutionalize it as part of
across the company’s operations worldwide.
our culture.”
How do you create a process for continuing improvement in which many voices can be heard?
By connecting the whole company to the promise and using it as the focal point 5
Our "branding in" method Connecting the organization to its promise A top-down, bottom-up, cross-team effort produces a circular and inclusive process The branding-in process starts at
Middle managers are trained to
Each team devises its own specific
the top with senior management.
“pass it forward.” They conduct
work plan to adopt, incorporate,
They generate “buy in” and lead
discussions at the department
and implement the brand
the efforts to define and translate
and team levels, so that every
promise into their day-to-day
the company values and brand
employee in every role is
responsibilities.
promise into a tool that permeates
exposed to the company values
throughout the organization.
and the brand promise in order
Through interactive workshops and meetings, middle management examines the company values to gain greater understanding and to shape and give meaning to the brand promise.
Senior management
Middle management
Teams
6
to understand their relevance from the employee, team, and organizational perspectives.
Inter-team meetings and connection points are created to strengthen the common language and commitment across the company.
Added values of branding in Connects employees to overall success
Becomes a tool for analyzing gaps
Employees who take part in the branding in process
When a company realizes what (and where)
are more likely to be happier and more satisfied on the
the gaps are, it can work effectively and continuously
job. They’ve been heard. They have a voice. They have
to close them by asking, “Where do we need to
influence.
improve?” or “What do we need to do better to meet
Even for those employees who are not in direct
our promise?”
contact with customers or end-users, the branding in process brings real meaning to their everyday work, which, in turn, helps to strengthen the perception of the company in the market.
Serves as a platform for communication A number of the day-to-day problems in an organization stem from a lack of communication between workers, departments or offices. The branding in process produces a common language
Empowers managers Because the branding in process is implemented at all levels of management, managers feel empowered.
throughout the company. The brand and the brand promise platform presents an opportunity to communicate using this common language.
They speak the language of the brand promise and company values. They start a dialogue with their teams, and they use the promise and values as a measure by which to evaluate performance.
Focuses the whole company on the same goal Sometimes individual employees or entire teams feel they operate in a void. The branding in process gives a focal point to the entire organization. No matter which
Infuses the company with energy The branding in process is energizing. In addition
department or at what level, each employee can connect to the promise and the values underlying it.
to the “network of communication” it produces,
The brand promise also becomes the focal point for
the process generates tremendous enthusiasm and
other organizational processes, ensuring maximum
camaraderie among the participants that continues
results at all touch points.
long after the workshops and meetings.
7
Case study
True to the promise -- globally Connecting employees from around the world to the brand promise Most global companies started local. Their company
To answer these questions, we’ll look at Maytronics, an
culture and values were key to their success and often
Israeli company that 30 years ago pioneered the pool-
formed the foundation for growth.
cleaning robot.
How can a global company keep its culture? How can
Our challenge was to help Maytronics strengthen its
it make sure the values and behaviors are maintained
global brand as a tool to drive growth and continued
in every office around the world? How can it connect
success. Together, we worked with the company to
employees from different cultures to the company and
bring meaning to their brand promise “exceptional
its values? How can it form the foundation to create
experience,” and to build a common language based
something bigger and drive future growth?
on that promise and the company's values.
The Maytronics promise:
Exceptional experience
8
You purchase an
The product is backed by
It's produced by a team that has an
EXCEPTIONAL PRODUCT
EXCEPTIONAL EXPERTISE
EXCEPTIONAL Commitment,
that performs well, gives value
From pioneers in the field and
love what they do, care for
for money, is easy to use and
leaders in pool robotics technology,
the customers, always come
maintain, offers superb results
who have years of experience,
through and deliver on what
(a clean, healthy pool), is fully
operate all over the world, and are
they promise, are really nice
guaranteed, and is supported
always innovating and developing
and friendly, have great spirit,
by the company.
the next generation of products.
and absolutely believe in their product.
“At the beginning of the process it was difficult to predict just how effective it would be. As we moved forward and went deeper, it became apparent that the strength and clarity of our brand promise became even more powerful and more precise, the more it was translated into practices and linked, across the organization, to authentic corporate values." Yuval Beeri, CEO, Maytronics
The Maytronics promise of "exceptional experience" has been implemented throughout the organization. From Israel to France and from Australia to the United States, all Maytronics managers and employees are aligned and connected to a clear brand promise and meaningful corporate values.
“…If we can truly achieve this
“The benefits of implementing a global brand strategy as it relates
'branding in' process, then
to helping connect employees to our promise and our values
the level of connection with
supports our efforts in creating a consistent culture, enhances our
the company grows from the
ability to communicate a consistent message both internally and
employees – they genuinely
externally about our company, and defines our company's behavioral
feel important and part of the
characteristics- during both good and bad times...”
bigger family of Maytronics, rather than just an employee number. The translation of this
Larry Ruizzo Maytronics USA
becomes extremely powerful in connection with day-to-day tasks, how employees behave every day: Do they aspire to meet the values and behave in line with them or not? This can create a significant point of difference versus competitors." Dan Kwaczynski Maytronics Australia 9
The sum of the parts Merging teams from different companies to the brand promise
When two companies merge or when rumors fly about an acquisition, ripples (and sometimes waves) spread throughout the entire organization. Management may not communicate often enough or clearly enough because of ongoing negotiations. Employees fear for their jobs and feel less secure. Productivity slips. The main opportunities (and the main challenges) of branding a merged company is building a compelling, ambitious vision; leveraging the strengths of the combined companies; creating synergy and adding value to both entities and the market (customers, partners, shareholders). Change and synergy depend on people. When there is a behavioral shift, one that is supported by clear and compelling values, messages, and a brand promise, change and synergy will occur.
Employees
For employees to get behind the change, they must understand the values of the merged brand.
Market
For the market to “buy in� to the change, it must understand the benefits of the merged brand.
+
=
The brand promise serves as a powerful tool in a merger by connecting two companies and enabling them to create a new joint future while maximizing the potential of the merger. The branding in process serves as an effective method for working together to find the strengths of both companies and to 10
build a new brand promise that reflects the merged company.
make a (new) whole The four main objectives that lead to change and synergy in M&As:
[1]
To understand the joint vision and strategy
[ 2]
To define the core values of the merged company,
of the merged company
the brand promise and the differentiating advantages of the various business units
[ 3]
To build the brand architecture and hierarchy,
[ 4]
To develop authentic and compelling messages
including products, services, and market segments
that best articulate all the above and support the companies’ business activities and growth over the coming years
When the people from both companies believe in the merger and have obtained these objectives, they will have succeeded in achieving the main goal: To align and connect all parts of the merged company to a clear corporate vision, strategy, brand promise — and culture. 11
The brand promise reflects the commitment that a company makes to its customers and the unique value it creates in their world. It is everything a company strives to do and the way in which it operates. The promise...which is also the heart...gives meaning to employees and is an effective platform for continuous improvement and growth.
Adsmith / China Advertigo / Romania Aloft Group/USA Ansel & Möllers / Germany Audacity / USA Base One / UK BB&B / France BBC / Belgium Bernstein / Germany
Media Consulting / Portugal
BMLab / Russia
OZ Branding / Israel
Café Design / Hungary
Preferendum / France
C&COM Advertising / Czech Republic
Quarry/Canada
D.A.G Communication / Italy
Rainfall / Romania
Igriega / Spain
Recommended/Finland Recommended / Sweden S'P'S Marketing / Austria SanderWerbung / Germany Schindler Parent / Germany TANGRAM / Liechtenstein TANGRAM / Switzerland
E3 Network
Truly Deeply / Australia
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This issue of the E3 Global Insights
coalition of independent brand strategy and
exists a broad range of global brand expertise.
Magazine was published by OZ
marketing communications firms from around the
From branding in to corporate brand identity
Branding, a creative agency in Israel
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