NHRD April 2013.pdf - National HRD Network

Internal branding is a cusp process one can
create. A cusp process that involves equally
the marketing discipline as it does the HR
department. The two marry seamlessly to
provide this seamless brand experience
that will be seen, heard and impacted upon
the employee at large.
Do you want your employee to think thrice
before she quit your BPO outfit to join your
cousin’s outfit across the road?
Internal Branding within the organization
will involve the services of a whole
different evangelist for the brand. While
the brand manager is capable of managing
the external environment for the brand,
the internal hierarchy-based structures
as we see today in organizations are best
catered to by the CEO of organization
as a brand evangelist. The CEO is best
positioned to contribute in this domain,
provided he himself is sold on the idea of
the brand at hand. And I am sure there are
many unwilling CEOs who have brands
thrust down their throats by predecessors
who have been hasty in launching brand
programs that are half-baked and quartergrilled!
CEO-passion for the brands of the
company is something that needs to
be encapsulated not only for external
communication purposes, but for internal
as well. It should indeed start with the
internal objectives being met fully first.
Communication is therefore a powerful
tool to use. Communication that will take
the proposition of the brand into the heart,
soul and gall bladder of every internal
employee.
The CEO as an internal brand evangelist
must communicate much more frequently
with his internal customers. Yes, it is snazzy
to be talking to the external customer. It is
easy as well to dominate the mind of the
external customer. Selling a proposition to
the internal customer who knows quite a
whole tad more, is that bit more difficult
than telling the external customer that you
have a better mousetrap or a toilet - seat or
whatever. The guy within the marketing
organization is that much more cynical,
that much more wary than the girl next
door who is your potential customer.
The CEO must communicate cogently and
with coherence within the organization.
More frequently than he does now. Involve
the entire set of internal employees from
day one. Does not matter whether the
employee is a driver or a draughtsman.
Time to talk to him about your all-new
intelligent toilet seat. The objective: build
passion! Build passion internally in every
employee, irrespective of rank, to avoid
rancor of any kind. Every employee must
believe in the brand the market is going
to receive tomorrow.
This communication needs to be multidimensional.
The CEO needs to cascade
down a communication through her
ranks. Every employee in turn needs to
get interactive. Debates must happen.
Issues must be sorted. Ideas must be
acknowledged and picked. A positive
dynamism in the process needs to be
established. The communication must
get lateral as well. Employee-to-employee
communication on the new-improved
mousetrap must be encouraged. Dissent
must be open. In short, communication
must be real and multi-dimensional. As
real and multi-dimensional as the people
within organization.
Internal Branding can build passion
and value as well. A well-informed and
satiated internal customer is going to be a
valuable asset for the organization. Every
external customer interface on the brand is
going to be packed with a greater degree
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April | 2013 NHRD Network Journal