Talking to my good friend Nila Nealy from TwentyTwo this morning, I was reminded why there are so few great brands.
In just a few minutes of conversation, we identified multiple layers of adoption that are required for a brand to be lived out by an organization. The more people a company has, the more challenging.
It first takes an engaged leader, who believes that brand is something beyond the product or service offered. That the character, personality and values an organization believes in, transcends the “what” of the business and is an essential part of what keeps consumers coming back. Within that process, that leader must have the discipline to acknowledge what his company is and isn’t. And, within an economy where revenues are dwindling, the courage to declare the “isn’t” is increasingly rare.
If the leader is at this point, managers and staff must then decide if they’re going to adopt whatever brand is true to the organization.
It can’t be overstated how important employee adoption is. These are the ambassadors of the brand, that are interacting with clients, customers and friends. This is where the advent of social media outlets like twitter and facebook have so much impact on the public’s perception of a brand. Every time and employee speaks, even if it’s not related to the topic of your business, he or she is representing your brand. Does this individual’s character, personality and values match what your organization stands for?
The reality is that most companies are still trying to get employees to show up and do the basics, to be focusing on a conscious representation of their organization’s values.
As we build Homesense, we want trust to be the essence of what our customers feel within every interaction. We know that it takes consistency over time to build that feeling, and only a few missteps to lose it. As customers of products and services, what activities would help a company build trust with you?
