What Is Your Brand?

This may well be a topic that a marketing guy like Drew McLellan would cover.  So you may be asking why a culture/ESOP guy is talking about brands?

Because today a brand is truly only as strong as the culture it represents.  In today's world, people look at brands as an experience.  With quick access to information, consumers can quickly determine brands that are not true to form. 

People will quit buying a product if they sense hypocrisy and deceit.  A company may have a great product, but consumers quickly notice how companies treat their employees or how the owners or CEOs represent the brand. Do unplanned layoffs and super sized bonuses ring any bells!

The brands that will survive this economic downturn will be those where the culture fully supports and reflects the brand.  There are a host of brand "items" that all you have to do is replace brand with culture, and you have a great list of how to enhance your company's culture. 

A strong brand breeds loyalty by consumers and employees.  It is not just a mark or saying that people follow blindly like a bunch of sheep.  A strong brand represents something that employees and consumers internalize and it becomes part of their belief system.  When people truly believe, they will endure.