Virgin is one company that has always recognized the importance of its people. Its attitude is demonstrated in its new group brand manual: “Chapter One -- Our People Come First.” “We have always believed that to create a powerful external brand you need to create a culture that supports it," adds Catherine Salway, Group Brand Manager for Virgin.

With employee backing, Steinmetz argues that communicating the brand values to staff requires the same methods as external marketing. "You need to segment your internal population just as you would your external audience and communicate appropriately. Communication needs to be relevant, and in today's climate, experiential as well. That could be rallies, workshops, online training, even picnics." Most companies also incorporate promotion of the brand culture into staff communications and their intranet. There's always a place for appropriate gimmicks -- like mouse mats with interchangeable brand reminders -- so long as they fit with the brand too.

Wal-mart even uses the mass media in its internal branding. Its television adverts featuring greeters in store are as much about demonstrating appropriate behavior to the company's own employees as they are about promoting the store to the general public.

Perhaps the best form of communication is leadership by example. Staff need role models and will be more likely to adopt brand values if they see their superiors living up to what they say.

"Marketing is the custodian of the physical brand, but who are the custodians of behavior?" asks Ian Buckingham. "If it is just HR, you've perhaps got a problem because often HR departments have lost their punch at board level. The best sponsor for an internal culture is the CEO.

"It's not good enough to run spin campaigns for staff,” he adds. “The top team has to foot the bill. They need role model behaviors. You can't ask thousands of staff to behave in a way that people at the top won't model."

Naturally rewards and remuneration can provide incentives for certain behaviors, and the incorporation of the brand values with HR policies and processes is essential. There is little point in stating that the brand is about teamwork, then rewarding individual sales reps for landing deals on their own. "You have to make sure that processes reinforce what you’re trying to do with the brand internally," says Buckingham. "Brand values need to be represented in the performance criteria, and people need to be rewarded according to the brand."

BP, for instance, runs its Helios Award scheme, which honors projects and work that embody the company's brand values (green, innovation, performance and progressive). Now in its third year, the number of nominations for the award far surpasses expectations. Employees take it seriously.

Human resource departments must also consider how their recruitment will uphold brand values. If you can pick the people whose natural behavior and values fit closely with the company brand then you automatically create a culture. You won't be trying to squeeze new employees until they fit -- or are fit to burst.

Buckingham recommends interview guides that specifically address the issue of branding. "How does the interview process provide opportunities to see how a candidate fits in with the brand?" he asks. "Will they fit in with the business culture? Or you could get employees to do the recruitment process. They usually have a good feel for whether someone would fit in."

"We've always been clued up about getting the right people on board," says Virgin's Salway. "The external brand tends to attract the right people anyway. We ask a lot of questions that aren’t traditional, to get a feel for what the person is like. We select on attitude and personality and a feel for whether someone's a bit different from the crowd, [can] cope with pressure and [has] a good sense of humor. That's what makes our brand come alive."

Of course, even with the best selection procedures, some employees simply don't want to know. This is particularly true when companies implement internal brand alignment for the first time. But Buckingham says that employees should see such initiatives as a positive move. "I'd raise up the effigy of the term ‘internal brand alignment’ and burn it. But employees should still see this as an opportunity to understand why they joined the company, apart from the basic need for pay and rations. And if you're not engaged in the process then either leave or rebel. Your voice needs to be heard."    

[18-Aug-2003]