Business Culture Inside Equals Brand Outside (Why It’s Essential to Build from Within)
You may ask: “Why is this important to MY company?” Let’s consider some of the recent high profile ‘brand failures’ we’ve been hearing about lately.
Tim Horton’s brand backlash from a few franchises’ response to the increased minimum wage in Ontario;
Samsung’s exploding Galaxy Note 7 cell phone fires;
Bell Canada’s (alleged) misleading door-to-door sales tactics for internet and phone services;
Apple’s (alleged) slowing of system speed on older phones to encourage the purchase of new phones;
Equifax’s security breach of customer data by hackers, further compounded by delayed disclosure of the breach; and
Volkswagen’s systematic cheating on vehicle emissions testing.
And what is your immediate reaction? You question their values and your trust in them. You wonder how “they” could allow this to happen? What were they thinking? Were they acting out of self-interest? What else are they hiding, or don’t I know? Why did they deliberately mislead or take advantage of me? Did they put me at risk? Can I trust them again?
Whether your company’s brand is or is not as high profile as the examples given above, make no mistake – your customers AND your employees are watching.
Both brand and culture are ultimately created by how we collectively act (our behaviour) as an organization, and our earned reputation (our consistent behaviour over time). Reputation cannot be dictated, decreed, or instantly created; it must be nurtured and earned over time through demonstrated behaviour. As shown in the above examples, both brand and culture can be extremely fragile.
What is good culture, good brand?
Most of us want to be associated with a good culture or brand – one that we can feel part of and/or participate in; that aligns with our values and priorities, and frankly, that contributes or augments our own personal brand. Welcome to Marketing 101!
In our work with clients, many business owners and employees describe the culture they want to create or be a part of as: “innovative, purposeful, authentic, transparent, decisive leadership, passionate and collaborative team environment, and client-centric, with open communication and shared values that attracts/retains great people…”
Note how culture mostly refers to behaviour, attitude, and how people interact with each other – very little about the product or service offered. Employees effectively ‘rate’ your culture by joining your organization, staying and contributing, or by moving on.
If asked consumers would typically describe the brands they wish to be associated with as: “having a clear purpose, superior design, high quality, trustworthy, dependable, aligned with their own values and personality, unique and memorable, relevant, current and passionate….”
Note how brand refers to both product AND behaviour, attitude, and how customers are treated. Consumers effectively ‘rate’ your brand by trying you out, continuing to buy from you, or finding alternatives.
Both culture and brand require conscious effort to build, and consistent effort to maintain. Both take time to build, yet both can be lost in an instant.
Nurturing Good Culture
“Culture is less about what you encourage,and more about what you permit” - Beartown, A novel by Fredrik Backman
Please visit website for the full article and to listen to a 48 sec audio from Doug on “Why I wrote this article.” https://goo.gl/CGfd7m