To make or break a brand: The essence of right communication and a compelling brand story

The new world of technology has enabled people to connect beyond the boundaries of nations, providing increased space for them to raise a ‘voice’, create awareness and stand for each other

Gone are the days of promoting brands to customers where marketers and brand managers deemed customers to believe unquestioningly in the fancy visuals and captivating stories, accepting all that is sold. 

In the modern world, people appreciate authenticity over publicity, and they value credibility over marketability. Consumers have empowered brands that hold true to their identity, over brands that only have an impressive image. In fact, they have even been audacious in bringing down brands that does not deliver on their promise. 

In the present day digitalisation is changing the world rapidly and the new world of technology has enabled people to connect beyond the boundaries of nations, providing increased space for them to raise a ‘voice’, create awareness and stand for each other. A fine example is the recent anti-racism campaign against a brand that has been selling ‘beauty’ products for over 45 years, with the promise of transforming women across the world through enhanced fairness to beautify women. The influencers stood against the definition of ‘beauty’ and questioned the way the product is defined for the consumer, challenging the status quo.  

Increasingly fresh perspectives are used to perceive brands with consumers constantly assessing, questioning, and monitoring the integrity behind their actions. In this context it is even more important for the brands to build its image from inside out, keeping in mind that only powerful brand image built over time will form the corporate reputation to withstand any crisis. 

Being open about the vulnerability of the brand may pay off than ‘whitewashing’

There are many ways in which a brand could form its reputation and of all, communication is the key factor. Both internal and external company brand communications should ensure to effectively communicate with the larger audience on its core purpose, including the reason for its founding in the first place and how has it impacted the people to reach to its current status. This does not mean only communicating the captivating part of the story, but also being authentic and forthright in communicating the resilient and challenging situations the ‘brand’ has faced, and how it has transformed the life of the people throughout its corporate journey.

Often brands and marketers concentrate on its customers when building the brand reputation and focus on increasing the market share and revenue generation. For instance, some companies’ promotional investment for boosting corporate and product brands range up to 60% of the net profit growth, concentrating on creating a better brand experience and advertising, reaching out to the external people, such as the customers, business partners, dealers, suppliers and other associations. However, in this process, they do not realise the significant role played by the people behind the brands; employees including non-executive workers, strategists, product engineers, supply chain professionals, brand managers, sales staff, experience designers and more, in building the brand reputation.  

In the present challenging context, it is important to consider employee concerns through finding alternative ways of delivering on the Employee Value Propositions (EVPs) without compromising on revenue generating avenues. 

Hence, it is significant to focus on innovative ways of delivering the corporate EVPs while upholding the idea that together the company and its employees will enable to sustain a captivating brand story. On one hand, corporate brands form a stronger connection with its employees that ensure corporate sustainability and survival in the long term, while the employees’ brand loyalty will grow to the level where they would fight for the brand they work for. It is then that having a great employer brand that deliver on its employee value offering becomes critical. 

Winning the hearts and minds of people

“Tell the truth–say it right and say it first”, should be the motto to live by. During a crisis, it is important to speak fast, speak first, and say it right! This includes times when the brand is vulnerable. At a vulnerable point when the brand discloses its true stance and identity, people will accept and acknowledge the situation and appreciate the sincerity. Therefore, being authentic is realistic rather than trying to build a reputation based only on winning stories. Communicating the stories of failures to the larger target audience would positively inspire people and make them fall in love with the brand. Undoubtedly, the customers build a powerful connection with brands that are genuine, transparent, and loyal. 

A company’s reputation is built over time, through corporate communications, responsible advertising, and cause marketing, explaining the purpose and belief of the brand – explaining why it does and what it does. Reputation is also earned through positive image created through statements, company communications, and partnerships and associations that deliver effective brand experience.

Therefore, to create a sustainable success story and build a solid reputation, the brand experience building approach taken should come from inside out. 

As a first step towards building a brand from inside out, forming an internal campaign through employer branding that focuses on creating an emotional connection internally is essential. At the initial stages of building the branding campaign, it is vital that the corporates or the employer conducts a value propositions audit prior to launching a strong employer brand campaign capitalising and building on the strengths of the employer which employees would cherish.  In building a corporate reputation, a corporate brand must outline the purpose of why it operates and offers its product or service solutions, by communicating and differentiating the brand experience and offerings. Today, with less disposable income of people, more than ever before customers have become ‘more conscious’ about the brands they spend on and associate with. Therefore, it is important that every corporate or product brand shows the impact it can make on people’s lives.  

While people appreciate ‘brands’ that are more credible, employees and customers fight for brands that provide them with pragmatic experience, stand true to their core purpose and responsible toward the people and environment at large. In this process, the internal stakeholders, more so the employees behind the brand should focus on remaining loyal to its purpose. It is now that building a right organisational culture with right people becomes essential.

The writer holds MCIM, MBA (HRM), and is a SOSTAC Certified Planner and Corporate Brand and Communications Consultant.