How we live our brand/company, involve our internal and external stakeholders and let them feel what we live by, arouses interest and enthusiasm, conveys the feeling of US and of BEING THERE in the present.
Such a culture can only be created with anchored values at the core of the brand, through their content and by making them tangible! However, it also requires management commitment, which is lived 100% through the daily behavior and conviction of management. They become the values that define a brand/company and its identity. A strong brand culture resonates with customers and promotes loyalty and trust, as well as attracting and retaining employees.
In the definition of brand/company and corporate culture, we find only two factors that need to be aligned – brand performance and service contribution! Of course, there are different forms of brand/corporate culture, but essentially it is always about brand creator, brand consumption and brand communication.
Combining brand/company culture into a clear way of life, which is lived both internally and externally, not only brings success, but also increases brand value (brand asset).
If you want to attract or retain employees as well as customers, you should cultivate the brand culture in a positive and authentic way and create a convincing identity.
We have a few approaches that make it possible to define a clear brand/company culture with little effort:
- Employee engagement – management that can foster a sense of belonging and purpose will establish a positive brand culture. It is important to get your employees behind the values, mission and vision of the brand, which increases commitment and motivation at the same time, resulting in higher productivity and job satisfaction.
- Customer experience – if you embody the values of the brand and create a customer experience through exceptional service, this also creates follow-up business and customer loyalty.
- Brand differentiation – creating an excellent and unequaled identity of the brand culture (uniqueness) attracts customers. Promotion of a positive working environment differentiates itself in the market and with coherent values such as offers. Customers sense this differentiation, become attracted to the brand and feel as if their needs are understood by the company.
- Innovation & creativity – empowering employees, supporting and guiding them leads to their thinking outside the box. A culture of innovation creates breakthrough performance and solutions.
- Brand advocacy – inspire employees, pull them along positively and let them live out their pride in the company as brand advocates. There can be no better advertising than satisfaction passed on through word-of-mouth marketing, which has a significant impact on the brand/company culture and attracts new customers (including employees).
- Retention & recruitment – only a compelling brand/ company culture will help attract top talent – positive corporate image and culture enables performance.
- Adaptability and resilience – being united by common goals and values means that changes can be mastered effectively and the relevance of challenges to dynamic market conditions can be successfully countered.
Values, beliefs, behaviors: These define brand/company culture and how you act or interact with customers, employees and stakeholders. Strength manifests itself as you begin to stand out from the competition, win and retain loyal customers and motivate employees.
Brand culture internally and externally – global impact!
If a strong brand culture exists, it binds employees to the company internally. They have a sense of identification, belonging and emotional connection, which in turn leads to positive behavior. It also increases productivity, the will to think entrepreneurially and to behave accordingly. Company management and employees sense this when self-interest is put aside and responsibility is assumed – in other words, when an individual’s willingness to perform is signaled.
The most important internal considerations for management to practice and instill upon employees are the following:
- Emotional commitment to the company
- Willingness to take entrepreneurial action
- Increase in individual and collective productivity
- Increase in innovative strength
- Adaptability and willingness to learn
- Global focus, orientation and alignment
In return, customers (or potential future customers) feel that they are part of a complete circle, that we speak as equals and that we use our strengths to include everyone. This binds both loyal and new customers to the brand/company culture and creates a feeling that the customer is part of it. Perception, intuition, meaning and results are representative here – and bring the customer benefits that adhere them to the brand.
The external effects can therefore be perceived as follows:
- Attractiveness of a brand/company culture has a positive effect on customers
- Employee perception as brand ambassadors strengthens the company
- Loyalty increases the customer base
- Customers as brand ambassadors – mouth to mouth
- Attraction for cooperation and participation brings new talent
- Promotion of new orders
The aspects of a strong brand/company culture become obvious. It is noticeable how concisely and clearly situations are mastered and how the effects are anchored and become convincing. Here we are talking about a homogeneous working foundation, which strengthens the relationships among employees.
How can this be developed if it does not yet exist? This is a question that large companies ask themselves time and again, as it is difficult to maintain the brand and corporate culture. In this regard, we recommend an internal committee that deals with the current brand/company culture on a regular basis. The necessary steps for this should be clearly prepared and set out while taking the following points into consideration:
- motivate – know the right questions for what, why and what for? The culture is a prerequisite for everything to run smoothly and must be understood and known by management and employees!
- focus – only if you know the essentials can you pursue the direction of the strategy – with or without cultural changes. In this regard, it is important to ask specifically, where are we heading? What guidelines are set and what may or may not be included in the basic attitude?
- orchestrate – clear processes for change must be defined and established. So how do you go about it? You need to know the challenges and success factors and set goals that are to be achieved. Are you aware of the resistance and risks or the opportunities and resources?
- live – putting it into practice means living it and standing behind it 100%. Control over all steps is essential and must be implemented with clear feedback.
- improving – ensuring that you are constantly optimizing and improving is part of sustainability in every company – whether for brand or corporate culture, it is a cycle with a constant focus on the zeitgeist. This is where reflection, realignment and development take place, as well as reintroduction into the cycle.
In conclusion, brand culture and identity define a set of values, beliefs, and behaviors that define how a brand or company interacts with its customers, employees, and stakeholders. A strong brand/corporate culture helps to differentiate the company from the competition, to win and retain loyal customers and to motivate and involve employees.