Why Brand Engagement Is A Personal Business

Posted by Jim Thompson on January 14, 2010 12:15 PM

It sounds so easy. Happy employees make for a healthy and profitable brand. So why doesn’t every company make brand engagement a priority? Two reasons:

(1) Theorizing about brand engagement is much easier than actually putting the ideas into practice.

(2) People are weird. Just ask Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos.com. The NY Times reports that if you would like to work for Zappos.com, be prepared to answer this question:

“On a scale of 1 to 10, how weird are you?”

Creating a successful culture in any work environment begins at the interviewing process, and, unfortunately, this is where brands often go wrong. For many people, the most dismaying facet of modern times is the blurring of social lines. There was a day when news was separate from entertainment, your phone was separate from your television, and peoples’ personal lives were separate from their professional lives. Those days are gone.

Today, interviewers want to know more than if you are simply qualified for the job. They want to know if you fit in with company values and if you’d be comfortable having drinks with fellow employees and their significant others. Like it or not, the era of brand engagement is upon us.

Tony Hsieh explains the approach Zappos.com takes when selecting employees for senior positions:

“It’s not just a single day with them and you make a decision. We’ll invite them to barbecues on weekends and they bring their families, and just hang out, or go to dinner or happy hour or whatever. It’s more just about trying to get a sense of who they are outside the office, I guess, and whether you feel like you can actually get to know them on a personal level or if they’re very professional and standoffish.”

Of course, some may argue that one’s personal life is none of their employer’s business. We live in a free country, and people should feel free to behave as they wish and not be pressured by executives into thinking or acting according to corporate values outside of the office. Today’s brand manager, however, would happily respond to such criticism: Those employees should exercise their freedom and work somewhere else.

Somewhere they fit in.

More about: Zappos.com, Tony Hsieh, New York Times

Rich Baker Digital Engagement says:

Interesting post Jim - thank you! By coincidence I was discussing this issue last night with some bright sparks at Media140 in London - in particular how branding should be closely tied to HR and recruitment. It often isn't - which is why the service we get told about is very different to the one we experience!
Whilst I understand Tony's approach to hiring though I'm not sure it would work in the UK - laws covering how you recruit are quite specific. That aside, there are many ways to understand if potential new recruits values are aligned to the organisations'.

January 14, 2010 12:38 PM # Reply

Ralph Leon says:

Though many might find Tony's approach "weird" I think it is a great one. Branding only works when you have everyone, including the top executives, involved with the brand. Starting branding from the start will later create brand champions. I think a big reason people don't apply brand engagement is because the process is long and won't happen overnight. Great post Jim, enjoyed reading.

January 14, 2010 01:11 PM # Reply

Paul Middlebrook says:

An interesting post. If business is to become 'more personal' and engaged with its stakeholders, around an authentic purpose, then recruitment needs to start from a personal basis as opposed to ticking boxes around skills and qualifications. I think Zappo's approach is an enlightened one. After all what you put into something reflects what you get out in most cases. Mistakes in 'off-brand' recruitment can be costly and in today's connected economy (where negative comments travel faster than positive) this can be highly damaging.

January 15, 2010 04:29 AM # Reply

Rasheed Bolarinwa says:

Quite an interesting post. Zappos approach is quite intriguing and i must add, a unique way of assessing the personal life of a would-be hire in an informal setting. Was involved in an acculturation process that was meant to align staff to the brand and corporate strategy, after a major re-branding and identity change exercise of a leading insurance company and was quite overwhelmed with the enthusiasm shown by staff during the brand engagement sessions organised company-wide. Also, the perspective shared on the need for increased role of HR in brand engagement process, especially during hiring and subsequent interview sessions, cannot be overemphasised. Effusive internal communication to constantly keep staff aware of goings-on and engaged at all times, is one area, HR and brand managers could collaborate to deepen engagement with thier brand

January 15, 2010 06:50 AM # Reply

Bob Livingston says:

Zappos discovered early on that it is all about connecting with customers, particularly in selling a very personal iten ...on-line. They are one of the best on-line retailers who facilitate personal contact by listing their phone number all over their site. And when you call you are connected. Hiring for attitude and then training for skill has been the benchmark for all great service companies thoughout time...It worked fro them...Its working for Zappos

January 15, 2010 11:16 AM # Reply

reactorr online branding says:

I've often read Zappos hires for culture.
Zappos claims to be "Powered by Service", and looks for the right people.

One of their interview questions being...
"How lucky are you in life, on a scale of 1 to 10?"

The number mentioned answer isn't important, but how the interviewee talks about his or her answer is, since research shows that people who consider themselves lucky are open-minded - a Zappos core value.

With employees often being the forward face of a brand, hiring for attitude can make all the difference.

January 15, 2010 06:49 PM # Reply

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Miami Signs says:

There are really lots of people who says that Tony's approach is really weird but I guess, it is a great one. Branding only works when you have everyone, including the top executives, involved with the brand.

February 8, 2010 10:59 PM # Reply