Rethinking Internal Branding: How to Break Free from the Stumbling Blocks of Evolution

Internal branding remains a critical differentiator for companies aiming at enhanced success, growth, and loyalty. Despite its evident benefits, why do companies not prioritize internal branding as much as they should? This article delves into the stumbling blocks hindering the widespread adoption of internal branding strategies.

The challenges of internal branding often extend beyond the question of resources. While resource constraints are a significant factor, another crucial stumbling block lies in dealing with actively ‘disengaged’ employees. This article explores how confusion during the implementation stage or a lack of clarity on their involvement can impede the success of internal branding initiatives.

Much has been written about the importance of internal branding, and how they have enabled or hindered the progress of evolution. That is not our purpose here. Instead of evaluating the pros and cons of an internal brand engagement program, we want to share our perspectives on how to break free from the growing concerns of employee disengagement, from the aspects of psychological to behavioral, using a structural approach to internal branding.
 

WHO CAN BE BENEFITED

The concept of a structural internal brand engagement is not limited to any sizes or type of businesses. It is particularly valuable for companies with an extensive network of internal stakeholders who want to facilitate a new brand induction and ideology alignment. A common internal engagement plan often carried out with just a meeting or one off training whereas a structural internal brand engagement program involved a co-creation process that requires meticulous planning. Here’s how.

Understand the behavioural aspect of change: Transitioning from the old to the new brand ideology isn’t just about order taking. It involves a high level of cognitive understanding and psychological comfort.Before you could start propagating the new, you need to first understand the pain as well as pleasure points for change. A detailed analysis of current organisation structure and communication flow, as well as their respective influences on others as a whole will be helpful. The analysis should spell a robust mapping of a network relationship so that it can be used as a reference to identify key opening leaders and influencers for a more effective internal communication roll out.

Create an inclusive environment for behavioural change: The prevalent issue with the common internal branding is that, more often than not, it’s a one-off exercise ordained and cascade down from the top rather than a co-creation process formulated to enhance brand experience from inside out. Speaking from a psychological standpoint, if it’s not mine, it will not be on my mind. Unless you have a plan on how to inspire co-creation and create a mark of what the company stands for in the minds of your employees, you cannot move them coherently towards realizing your intended brand strategy.

Provide brand management support: Besides creating an inclusive environment for change, you need to provide relevant brand information and guidelines to help different job functions and departments integrate the new brand standard into their daily work process in a consistent and coherent manner. Redefinition of individuals’ role and responsibility in relation to the new brand ideology is necessary. An obstacle-free communication system with user-friendly, interactive elements needs to be identified and it should be made available to all.

Recognise engagement as a moving target and check back often: Branding cannot be done overnight. If you are impatient and expect too many results too soon, your plans are more likely to fail. Having a structurally planned internal brand engagement program is only half way through to success. The other half requires you to continuously motivate and ensure a strong devotion and follow through from the participants and a constant reality check for adjustment to meet your end results. 

CONCLUSION

Solidarity is a source of strength in internal branding. Establishing the right atmosphere for active participation makes implementation smoother and increases the chances of success. It’s crucial to have people fully embrace and advocate for the brand idea. Without a structured approach to inspire the right brand ideology, a herd mentality can emerge, leading to declining engagement, conflicts, and potential obliviousness in the company’s transformation. This highlights the importance of investing in internal branding effectively.