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  Risky Business: When Personalities Promote Brands
 
 In Australia, we seem to be using that technique more and more. Big brands that are currently featuring 'real employees' with huge success are; Bunnings (big hardware chain), Bakers Delight (bakery franchise), RACV call centre (re. motor insurance).Employer branding is crossing more and more into the mainstream and companies are seeing the real benefits to cross promoting to consumers and potential employees. Of course it won't work for anyone and it does become difficult if you use certain or named employees as spokespeople. 
Erika McInerney, General Manager, Advertising Energy Group - April 20, 2009
 
 Using employees as 'props' is just a symptom of the old definition of brands: they are part of the image, however authentically presented, with which consumers are supposed to engage.Of course, the real impact of employees to the brand is if they actually DO things that truly differentiate the brand or, similarly, if the business DOES things that make said employees better, different, whatever.I wonder whether employees 'represent' the brand as much as REALIZE IT through their actions? As such, perhaps using them as cheap props -- however creatively or tastefully presented -- is missing on the most useful and sustainable benefits they could deliver? 
Jonathan Salem Baskin - April 20, 2009
 
 Using employees can bre a powerful tool if employed in such a way that the true spirit of brand values is authentic and maintained. I think there will be a greater proliferation of employees involved in the era of social networking and the like. 
michelle vasquez, Free lance brand strategist - April 20, 2009
 
 Who is the hero or central character of your brand story matters - and ideally you make it your customer. In some cases, employees can serve as strong messengers and spokespeople for the brand, but only when it translates as geniune. We've all seen it done well with Columbia Sports Gear, Perdue Chicken, even Wendy's - its best when the character represents an everyman or woman people can relate to. At the end of the day though, the story is about your audience - whether they can locate themselves in the story. That should be the primary concern.Michael MargolisBrand Storytellerwww.thirsty-fish.com 
Michael Margolis, President and Founder, THIRSTY-FISH - April 20, 2009
 
 To me, your brand promise is authenticated by your people. They better be able to represent what you're all about.

This particular piece to me says more about executional problems - it talks about honest values yet uses visual tricks that distract from that story. It's preachy, which doesn't work for the hard-core green citizen, who is already far more radical than Timberland's story. It doesn't have a hook for the average consumer, so they'll tune it out. It's a high brow visual telling of a down to earth message (thus not fulfilling an emotional need).

Who it was in the video is far less important than why they needed to tell it, and why they chose to do it this way. This could have been far more effective as a low budget call to action from Timberland people that are making a real difference, seen in real places, IMHO.

We've used employees in branding campaigns to great success; execution is the difference-maker. 
Dan Reus, Senior Creative Director, Switch Liberate Your Brand - April 20, 2009
 
 I agree with Dan Reus, “your brand promise is authenticated by your people.” About 10 years ago I proposed to use real employee pictures to the company I was working for, here in Brussels. The purpose was to use these images for recruitment campaigns and jobs fairs. Note that these people were not famous in any manner, except perhaps in their own environment.One reason I see for it to have worked so well was that it gave a scale of truth to potential candidates. This company was not cheating, these people were real employees and all seemed very happy to be working there. Also, employees were proud to be part of the picture library and to stand as one of the building-blocks of the company’s reputation. Today, I have the feeling that this approach has been over-used and that it wouldn’t work so well anymore. Perhaps are we just “fed up” to see images of people pretending to reflect a company’s reality/personality? And perhaps we just don’t believe it anymore? 
Muriel Bosserez, Design Manager, Allianz Belgium - April 20, 2009
 
 I think it is fantastic when brands utilize their employees to deliver their brand message. After all, every brand should engage their internal stakeholders in the brand development process, so why not during the execution of the communications plan? A perfect example of aligning the internal culture with the external reputation! 
Rex Whisman, Chief Brand Strategist, BrandED Consultants Group - May 2, 2009
 
 
     
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