Culture and Brand have a very special relationship. Some say it’s two sides of the same coin: internal and external. We view it as more of a compass.
What is Culture?
Culture is not a foosball table in the break room. Culture is not pizza parties on summer Fridays. Culture is not values printed on a wall. Or the mission statement you hire a fancy consultant to write.
Culture is the living, breathing persona of your company. It’s the way your employees work every day. It’s the spoken and the unspoken rules of working at the company.
Do your employees feel anxious on Sunday night about going to work on Monday morning? Culture.
Do you schedule mandatory 8am meetings? Culture.
Do you regularly meet over lunch? Culture. That constant state of false urgency? Culture.
Are your projects chronically understaffed? Culture. Micromanagement? Culture.
Culture is created over time by making a million SMALL decisions at all levels of the organization.
A great culture powers your business to run on more than a paycheck. It goes beyond the commodity of doing business. Every job pays people, but not every job makes them feel proud to be part of something bigger themselves.
What does your culture have to do with your brand? Well, everything.
What is Brand?
Brand is your promise to the outside world AND the sum of all experiences your audience has with your organization. Jeff Bezos said, “Your brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room.”
Notice the word “people” and not just “customers” here? Your brand promise isn’t only made to your customers. It’s made to ALL stakeholders: employees, partners, vendors, etc.
That tedious job application your potential employees have to complete on your website? Brand.
How those new shoes fit when you go for your first run? Brand.
How the new car drives off the lot? Brand.
How your customer feels calling customer service for help? Brand.
Paying an extra $20 for a t-shirt because it has the Nike Swoosh on it? Brand.
Every function inside the organization must align with your brand promise for its delivery to be a success.
How does this happen? Culture.
Brand is the result of your culture guiding a million SMALL decisions.
A strong brand insulates you from having to compete on price. Great brands have a purpose that people are passionate about and want to do business with, they will drive across town and pay a premium for it.
At Belle Bear Marketing, we’ve led dozens of Brand Camps and Workshops designed to foster an enterprise-wide understanding of your brand values, and their impact on customer service delivery, internal operations, product design, and communication. Let’s talk and see how we can help you align every function inside your organization to deliver on your brand promise.