Behavioural branding

Do you remember the scene from the movie “Bodyguard”, where Kevin Coster goes to Whitney Houston’s villa for the first time because he was requested as a bodyguard? He rings at the entrance gate and mentions a name, on his way to the house he meets another bodyguard and says another name. When he arrives at the entrance door, he mentions a third name.

Did you ever wonder what your customers feel like when they get in touch with your brand at different points along the customer journey? Brands are fundamentally represented by people – people that can be very different from each other. At the various touchpoints a brand shares with its customers, it can happen that customers gain very different impressions. The less your employees are connected to your brand, the greater this danger. According to a Gallup study, the lack of commitment by employees costs German companies around 260 billion Euros per year. A 9-to-5 mentality and dealing badly with work material are only a few of many reasons for this.

This is why you need motivated employees. Your brand is an excellent means to achieve this. For this purpose, it is necessary to fulfil several prerequisites:

• A needs-based brand positioning – it represents the necessary framework.
• Commitment by the top-management level: only if the top-management supports the process, it can lead to success.
• Early participation of all employees: Do not make a secret out of the project, but talk about it to reduce the uncertainty of your colleagues.
• Cascade process: First train the management and promotors who will then train their co-workers in the next step.
• SIIR principle: first sensitise, then inform, then involve and then realise. This creates knowledge, drive and ability among the employees.
• Identification of the internal target groups: Determine who are the designers, mediators and ambassadors. This is importance since each of the three groups has its own roles and responsibilities.