1 THE BRAND WITHIN

This paper summarises the findings of a formal study conducted in late 2001. It argues that
a singular approach - or blueprint - can form the basis for internal brand deployment.

T
HE ENCOUNTER BETWEEN the
company and the customer has become
the key management issue of our mar-
keting age.
As a brand manager for a large service organisation,
I had often read about the importance of aligning
the customer experience to the brand promise.
But, while I recognised the benefits of building a
strong brand from within, I could find little practical
advice on how to make employees effective brand
ambassadors.
We have seen a shift in the role of the brand from a
marketing tool to an organisational principle for busi-
ness. In the best-managed brands, particularly service
brands, values are practised by the entire workforce as
part of everyday life and, consequently, all employees
are ambassadors for their brand, often without even
realising it.
MATT STEVENS

Some authors suggested specific activities such as
workshops (Gofton, 2000) or developing a ‘cata-
lytic symbol’ (Murphy, 2000) that would signify a
step change to employees. These singular activities
seemed rather piecemeal, and therefore liable to
fall foul of cynicism. My suspicions were confirmed
by a casual conversation with front line employees
who were evidently ‘living the brand’.
had supported a change throughout the company.
As front line staff dealing with passengers every day,
they felt patronised by the training, believing they
already supported the brand values. With no appar-
ent evidence of change elsewhere in the organi-
sation, the impact of this ‘soft’ training had been
undermined by the employees’ lack of belief in a
new order.

The decision by British Airways to put its work-

force through the Putting People First and Putting
People First Again workshops had been widely-pub-
licised in the marketing press. So, on a plane flight
back from Cape Town, I asked the crew what they
thought of the workshops and how effectively they

K. Gofton, Putting staff first in brand evolution (2000); C.Murphy, Instilling workers with brand values (2000). See end for bibliography.
2 In search of an ‘off-the-peg’ solution

U
NDAUNTED, I continued to make
a nuisance of myself by asking the
question: “How do I persuade the
employee who delivers the customer experience
to embody the brand?”

Discussions with consultancy firms revealed strik-

ing similarities in the way many organisations The role of the brand manager is widely misunder-
approached internal communications and training. stood. In my own organisation, I have heard myself
However, they were reluctant to suggest a ‘one described as Logo Cop. It strikes me that we need to be
size fits all’ approach to building the brand internally on especially solid ground before attempting to ‘brand
on the basis that ‘every organisation is unique’. the employee’.
But are businesses quite as unique as they’d like
to think? We all have employees, markets and cus-
tomers. We work within broadly similar depart-
mental structures. The same issues concern each
of us on a day-to-day basis: communicating with
customers; motivating staff; recruiting and retain-
ing the right people; spending our budgets wisely;
using technology efficiently; managing effectively.

When I gauged the views of other brand managers

at a conference, I was reassured to find I was not
alone in desiring a framework to help my organisa-
tion ‘live the brand’.
3 Taking matters into my own hands

A
N ARTICLE ENTITLED Bank On The
Brand (Interbrand Business Paper No.1),
and published on www.brandchannel.com,
inspired me to consider developing a blueprint of
my own.
The article investigated branding within the finan-
cial services sector. It asked 24 financial institutions
around the world how their principal customer
brand was used and managed, both externally and
internally, and revealed four specific stages of organ-
isational brand development:
Stage 1 - Visual Identification
Where the brand is predominantly a naming device
and has no clearly defined personality or relation-
ship with stakeholders, especially employees.
Stage 3 - Catalyst for Corporate Change
Where the company has identified a need to
improve, using brand strategically as an emblem of
its vision and values. During this transitional stage
of brand development, driven by a cross-functional
team, the brand is used to motivate staff, raise
standards of customer service and communicate
with customers.
Stage 4 - Centrepiece of Corporate Strategy
Where the corporate brand is at the centre of
business strategy. Typically, the CEO and senior
management have agreed the brand strategy and
positioning in parallel with the business vision so the
brand is the embodiment of the company vision
and direction.

Stage 2 - New Subsidiary Development These findings confirmed to me that similarities

Where a sub-brand has been created which embod- did exist between organisations when it came to
ies the service promise, giving employees values and branding, and so a singular approach, or blueprint,
clues about how to behave towards customers. could be possible.

High The Four Stages of Brands in Financial

Services, Interbrand (2001) Stage 4
Centrepiece of
Corporate Strategy

Role of Stage 3
Catalyst for
Corporate Change
brand
within Stage 2
New Subsidiary
business Development

strategy
Stage 1
Visual
Identification

Low High

Value of brand to business

4 My study and ndings

B
ORROWING DEFINITIONS from the The brand owners who considered themselves to
www.brandchannel.com article, I con- be developing sub-brands embodying the service
tacted a number of well-known service promise (stage 2), or who were using the brand
brand organisations and conducted in-depth inter- as a catalyst for improvements (stage 3), said that
views with the brand owners to test the existence their effort was focused towards instilling brand
of the brand stages. In the interest of diversity, I values into people’s approach to work and, conse-
looked at brands ranging across industries such as quently, the delivery of the customer experience.
management consultancy, transport, communica-
There was no set progression through the stages.
tions, distribution and finance. The service-provid-
So, to embody the promise and provide employees
ing organisations in my study employed a variety of
with clues, a brand could develop from a naming
organisational structures and widely-different num-
device to become the ‘catalyst for change’ without
bers of people.
the interim phase of sub-brand development.
My study was exploratory in nature, looking at the
Brand managers felt it was possible for a well-
different approaches brand managers used inter-
managed organisation to be brand-driven from the
nally, comparing common themes and identifying
outset; to make the brand part of the intrinsic fabric
possible trends. While conducting the study along
of the company. Based on the responses to my
academic lines (methodology and findings available
study, the stages of progression would be more
on request), I was keen to make the focus practical
fluid and so look more like this:
so that, having satisfied my own enquiry, the results
would be useful to other brand managers. Brand Progression in Service Organisations

What I found Or start here

High
All of the brand owners were able to place their Stage 4
Centrepiece of
own organisation in one of the four stages. The Corporate Strategy

majority agreed that their brand was developing Stage 3

Role of Catalyst for
internally through the same stages as the Interbrand brand
Corporate Change

model suggests. In all but two cases, intensified within

Stage 2
business New Subsidiary
brand activity appeared to be driven by increased strategy Development

competition and consumer interest. These two Stage 1

Visual
organisations were monopolies whose brand activ- Identification

ity had been driven by the CEO. Low High

Value of brand to business
5 The trends point to a single approach
S
TRONG TRENDS began to emerge that
were true for organisations operating in
diverse industries and subject to widely dif-
ferent market forces and internal pressures. This
supported my original instinct that an over-arching
approach to internal brand development could be
constructed for service organisations.
The trends are as follows:
Brand activity is more credible in companies
where brand management occupies a central
strategic position.
There was a strong correlation between companies
that considered themselves to be more advanced
in their brand deployment and those which identi-
fied branding as a central strategic function within
organisational templates.
Large companies use core employees as brand
champions to help communicate the brand.
The larger the organisation, the more likely it is
to select key personnel to give credibility to brand
deployment. ‘Brand champions’ are not always
selected on seniority grounds but on the basis of
peer-group respect; indeed, the most brand-devel-
oped organisations tend to select from a broader
cross-section of employees. These advocates are
trained specifically to support the initiatives.
The number of employees is not a barrier to the
advanced development of internal branding.
Logic might suggest that brand deployment would
be easier to manage, and therefore more advanced,
in smaller organisations where communication with
all employees is potentially easier. This proved
not to be the case in my study. The organisations
employed widely different numbers of staff, ranging
from 400 employees to over 100,000, yet some of
the larger firms considered themselves to be in the
later stages of brand deployment.
Defining core brand behaviours within the
working context is a good approach in organ-
isations with a high proportion of front line
employees because it is easier to relate defi-
nitions to daily activities.
In particular, two of the organisations had made
forward strides by creating simple, practical com-
munications targeted at front-line employees.
Brand owners accept they are working within
constraints and all see internal brand devel-
opment as an ongoing challenge.
There is a general acceptance from brand manag-
ers that they are working within culture parame-
ters and constraints, and that all activities are part
of corporate strategy. In my study, many manag-
ers identified activities that they would like to have
developed further but could not for reasons of
time, access to the particular audience or budget.
5 continued
Leadership drives internal branding, although
financial incentives for senior management
are generally considered unnecessary.
Brand owners in this study saw the use of financial
incentives to gain senior management support as a
contravention of brand values. Only one organisa-
tion (which placed itself in stage 4) had targets and
financial incentives in place. All respondents saw
senior management as a vital component in brand
deployment. They felt employees followed values
demonstrated by management, whilst a manager
whose behaviour contradicted the brand values
immediately destroyed the credibility of the brand.
Some ran workshops for managers to secure their
commitment to the brand at an earlier stage.
Brand budgets are centrally based and so
become vulnerable during times when inter-
nal branding is needed most.
People are most receptive to internal brand deploy-
ment when times are tough, yet this is precisely the
time when budgets are most under pressure. All
brand owners identified a greater opportunity for
brand deployment and interest from employees
when the business environment was more threat-
ening. Yet, these were precisely the times, when
all the respondents said that brand budgets were
greatly reduced. Not surprisingly, there was an ele-
ment of frustration in the opportunity lost. Adopt-
ing some form of brand equity measurement based
on the potential for conducting future activity could
help keep budgets secure during difficult times.
If the brand owner can secure the funds,
developing HR policy aligned to the brand at
the development stage really helps support
the brand deployment.
All brand owners who considered their organisa-
tions to be more advanced in brand deployment
had developed their HR policies in this way.
Brand consultancies help in developing the
brand personality and potential approaches
to deployment.
All of the brand owners within this study had
used specialist branding consultancies when devel-
oping the initial brand values or for advice when
approaching deployment.
Organisations tend to scope the brand prop-
osition and values thoroughly before imple-
mentation.
All of the service brands in this study appeared
to have well-considered brand personalities and
values. Typically, the process involved collating exist-
ing information about the organisation’s cultural
values and its market in order to develop a central
5 continued

idea. This was then tested amongst both custom-

ers and employees. Common themes included a
focus on added value and an emphasis on support-
ing ‘people’.

Brand managers believe that internal com-

munication channels should be evaluated in
relation to the brand messages and new ones
developed where necessary.
In many of the organisations, brand owners said that
they had to use existing communication channels,
rather than dedicated vehicles. New approaches to
communication, however, demonstrate the com-
mitment an organisation has to deploying the new
or refreshed brand. Indeed, one could argue that
the channel itself is as important as the message in
signifying importance of the brand.

If the business plan is the traditional corporate blue-

print for ‘hard issues’, from pricing to location to capital
resources, then an equivalent blueprint is required for
‘soft’ issues of personality and culture. After all, human
beings are the most powerful influences on the way any
business grows.
6 Internal branding: a blueprint

Chief Executive Officer

Approves brand development
Understands implications

B
Understands level of support
Understands cost
ASED ON THE FINDINGS from the
study, an over-arching approach to
branding can be developed which lists Test with externals Brand Team Workshops to test
and customers Scopes brand personality with employees
activities, from positioning the brand and its per- Uses all existing research
Draws initial conclusions
sonality through to its internal deployment. What
follows is unashamedly prescriptive: after all, this
is a blueprint constructed for myself by myself. If
Brand Team
you’re a brand manager, I hope you find it useful! Pulls together findings
Refines if necessary

Get the CEO involved

In some organisations, the CEO will wish to steer
internal branding activity; in others, the brand CEO & Snr Mngt Workshop Brand Team
Develops look/big idea Briefs the
owner will need CEO approval to undertake it. Develops values
Develops meanings
development plan
Reach and costs
Understands reach & cost Defines strategy
Either way, the following actions should be under- Understands brand fully
taken as soon as possible by the brand owner:
• Obtain a mandate for brand development
Chief Executive Officer
• Agree on the extent of the development Supports strategy
Agrees to develop brand
• Ensure that the CEO appreciates all the implica- Agrees costs

tions, including the support that will be demanded

• Ask for a bigger budget!
Feedback and Brand Team External Comms
input into all Fully defines/concludes story Brief visual identity
When embarking on this activity the parameters brand activity Interprets all manifestations Brief brand values
Develops all specifications
and scale of effort needs to be understood and Develops HR and support
Develops visual identity
clearly set out. The CEO will be more receptive to
the idea of supporting internal branding if the brand
Support functions CEO/Snr Mngt Brand
HR aligned Launch brand Develop comms
owner can justify proposed activities by demon- Ops Spec aligned Specific event Use existing channels
Recruitment aligned Cascade to follow Appoint brand
strating the current brand value or its associated Training aligned All staff if possible champions
Develop new channels
financial benefits. When discussing branding scope,
it is important to recognise that the number of
Employees
employees is not in itself a barrier to achieving
a culture change, but will affect the scale of the
task. Using a model such the ‘Brand Iceberg’ (Inter-
brand, 2001) might also help to illustrate the activi-
ties required and the potential size of the task. An over-arching approach to internal branding
6 continued
Brand team: scope and test the concept
Gather all available market information which
describes the company’s position and benefits. This
should help in establishing the unique proposition
that the brand will represent. Many organisations
find it useful to employ consultants at this time to
assist them in developing the brand. Once a con-
cept is in place, test it both internally and externally.
Internally, use workshops to involve employees as
fully as possible and act upon contentious issues.
Externally, do not just test current customers but
include prospective audiences. It is important that
the framework tests the concepts independently.
Brand team: work through the findings with
the CEO and senior management team
Arrange a workshop for the CEO and senior man-
agement team. This will enable the senior man-
agement team to develop a full understanding of
the brand, take some ownership by inputting their
ideas and help it understand the implications and
potential reach of the deployment across the whole
organisation.
Take the team through the findings, then work with
the brand team to develop and refine the look and
feel of the brand. Consider the ‘big idea’ behind
the values and develop the brand meaning across
a wide range of functional environments such as
finance and customer services.
In practice, it may be difficult to get the CEO
and senior management team together. If this is
the case, build a brand team business case. Follow-
ing the scoping process, produce a report describ-
ing the brand concept, the brand strategy for the
organisation, the areas which would need to be
developed for the brand to become part of the
company values and the associated costs of this
activity.
Gain CEO approval
Following either a workshop or presentation from
the brand owner, obtain the CEO’s support for
the brand strategy, and the approval of parts of the
organisation which need to be aligned to support
this and approve the funding.
Fully develop the brand
With the other members of the brand team, fully
define every aspect of the brand and how it trans-
lates to employees. This includes not just the visual
identity but the service specification, HR policies,
training, recruitment, literature, communication
and reward schemes.
Start by understanding the ideal branded customer
service experience (to a specific audience) and
work back so that all processes are aligned. Then
draw in experts from other business functions to
support and provide input to the development.
6 continued
Define core brand behaviours, particularly if the
organisation has many front- line employees. Test-
ing internal policy changes against objectives is also
a useful activity. However, it is more effective to
develop the groundwork before involving employees,
rather than attempting to get a consensus upfront.
Assign support functions
Following this work, there should be a clear trail of
changes within the organisation’s support functions
which show they have been aligned to the brand.
It is a business decision as to whether the support
changes are implemented as they are developed or
if they should be introduced as part of a launch.
Communicate externally
Following the brand development, brief the new
visual identity and brand values to all external crea-
tive agencies. Often they will have helped develop
the identity by working with the brand team.
Communicate internally - with originality
The types of messages (for instance, team briefs)
and channels of communication (such as newslet-
ters) should have been scoped as part of the over-
all deployment plan. Brand owners do, however,
need to consider the audience experience and be
confident they’re portraying the relevant messages.
New and original communication tools should also
be used where possible to give a distinct impres-
sion of change (for example, CDs and intranets).
However, attention needs to be given to their prac-
ticality and cost based on their intended audience.
Empower employees
To create an organisation which ‘lives’ its brand
values, give all employees the opportunity to take
ownership and offer valuable insights into the issues
faced. For example, form working groups to look
at specific issues, such as developing an operational
service specification which adds value to the cus-
tomer; or develop the office environment in a way
which reflects the brand. If yours is a large com-
pany, use some core employees as brand champi-
ons to assist in communicating the brand.
Hold a launch event
If possible, persuade the CEO to launch the brand
at an internal event attended by as many of the staff
as possible (or just the brand champions, depend-
ing on whether this approach is used). Arrange
workshops to create employee interest and dem-
onstrate the commitment and importance of the
CEO and senior management team to the brand.
The activity needs to be supported with additional
communications and tangible activities, such as
policy changes, to remain credible. Cost will cer-
tainly limit what is achievable.
Measure progress
Put clear measures in place so that the progress of
all activites undertaken can be clearly measured.
7 The value of a single approach

T
HIS PAPER PROPOSES that service ARTICLES
businesses can follow a single model for
Gofton, K., Putting staff first in brand evolution,
internal brand deployment.
Marketing, 3 February 2000, pp 29-30.
Although our business circumstances vary, there
Interbrand (2001), Bank on the Brand, Interbrand
are similarities between all of us when it comes to
Business Papers, No.1, 15 May 2001 on
people; it follows that the methods used and the
www.brandchannel.com or contact Interbrand.com
issues faces when deploying brands internally are
common to all of us. Murphy, C., Instilling workers with brand values,
Marketing, 27 January 2000, pp 31-32.
I hope my work has provided some useful insights,
and shown that brand deployment cannot rely on MODEL
a single activity, but should involve a sustained pro-
Brand Iceberg Model in Interbrand (2001), Bank on
gramme of alignment, communication and tangible
the Brand, Interbrand Business Papers, No.1, 15
demonstration of change to the employee.
May 2001.
In today’s dynamic climate, in which organisations
are diversifying, globalising or decentralising, an
increased focus on the way their people behave can
provide much-needed stability and motivation.
Matt Stevens,
I will be using this blueprint to enhance my brand,
the author of
and hope it proves useful to other brand managers.
this article is
a brand manager
for Royal Mail.

This article was based on study for his Masters degree. Contact:
matt.j.stevens@royalmail.co.uk or matt_j_stevens@yahoo.co.uk