The proverbial “chicken or the egg” thing has nothing on #TChat. The real question is, What came first, the employee or the brand? It was the question of the hour this week — well, five of them, to be exact, and they all sought to end the elusive, great debate on corporate vs. employment in the branding arena.
Game, Set, Match
What kind of match is this anyway? Not one made in heaven was the sentiment of many, many of whom likened it to “The Odd Couple .” The argument here is that corporate brands are constructed out of goals and gains (some may even say games). Employment brands on the other hand, are organically co-created as the lovechild of attraction and engagement.
Do they still work together? That depends: Are they in collusion, working together under separate cover, but with shared elements, goals and vision? Or are they on a collision course, unfolding separate agendas without regard to one another? There’s nothing James Bondish about authentic branding, where leadership gives shape to the organization through an identity based on values that are rooted in collaboration and nurtured with human care. There’s that word again that keeps popping up — human, branding’s oxygen supply. It’s because employees breathe and give breath to a culture that collectively owns reality rather than resigning to its manufacturer’s suggested “re: tale” price. People, connected as a community, not corporate entities, tell the story. And the best stories are ones that everyone can relate to.
When Two Roads Don’t Diverge as One
What happens when a corporate brand and employment brand go their separate ways? We get the hamster wheel: The company runs in place and makes no significant tracks; the spectators all leave, at the end of the day. It’s a novel, but futile, exercise. You can’t build a solid enterprise on a “brandfill.” You need substance, a solid foundation that starts with meaningful engagement by employees and service to something beyond the borders of the bullpen. You don’t need to send a pair of shoes to Africa. Just find a pair that fits and walk the talk in them.
All’s Fair in Love and War
Did you miss the preview @CyndyTrivella
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#TChat INSIGHTS: When Business Vision and Brand
Storified by TalentCulture · Fri, May 25 2012 15:40:32
Q1
A1 – walk the talk, drink your own kool-aid #thatisall #TChatSylvia
A1 also if the BRAND = sum of all conversations, offline + socialonline then leadership
A1 – once internal buy in is
A1
A1: Brands are living, breathing visions. The brand becomes a way of
A1: One might argue that
A1 Successful
A1. Re: #Branding — Please don’t join our team if you don’t agree with our
A1 And how you *market* your
A1: Vision =
A1.
A1 – Koolaid to me is a
A1 Leaders can set a vision and provide the transparency of
A1:
A1: If a company is living the vision – does it really need to be marketed?
@meghanmbiro A1 relationships, Dale Carnegie wrote How To Win
A1: The leadership’s vision sets the tone of the brand in the interactions when
A1 Leaders must share the
A1 – Leaders can destroy a company by varnishing the reality of the
A1 People don’t see a brand as a
A1: Vision has to be established internally, then it external brand vision will come in
A1 – empl’s have to “buy into” vision & it
must reflect culture of co. for that to happen to create internal brand. #tchatRichard S
A1. As dubbuha said the “Vision thing” is kind of a compass #tchatDave
A1 The internal Brand IS the external brand that is shared by Employees in
A1 If the vision is communicated clearly and is turned into
A1: IMO, they should be
A1: The vision sets the stage for the brand, it permeates every facet of
A1: Uh Oh. My pain meds aren’t cooperating
A1 The brand is the culture is the message that is tweeted
A1 Hopefully, the
A1: Understanding Company’s Values
A1 The brand should be developed in order to meet business
A1 Leaders set the values
A1. If vision gets employees excited, #winning. #tchatJustin
A1: leadership sets the tone, and for better or worse, it trickles down to employee
A1 A business cannot communicate
Q2
A2: University brand same colors logo office/division brand but often
Employees create culture, which influences brand
A2: Corporations should not be people and there should be a difference #tchatRob
A2: In highered this is like branding for students and somewhat differently for
A2:Best buy could be corp-
A2: People like to vote with their dollar. Impressive culture and practices usually
A2: In theory they are one…In
Love this! TY Pam @pamelamaeross: A2 One brand common values. Employer brand
A2:
A2 Corporate
A2: Fluidity & consistency across all aspects of the brand
A2: Employer Brands which have been
I don’t think so 😉 “@marksalke: A2: Is it an accident that ‘Best Companies to
A2 One brand
A2 Consumers that see the employee values in the company brands will buy more
products (SouthWest Air, Patagonia, etc.) #tchatKC @UpwardlyMe
I love me a Venn
A2 If a brand is authentic, trusted &
A2:Coin has two very different sides, but still same coin. #tchatSimon
A2. Best storyteller often is one closest to the story, emphasizing the importance on
A2 pls clarify “employment branding” is
A2 – The unfortunate thing is that they are almost
A2: The company and personal brand
A2:If they are different then you just have two brands. #tchatSimon Harvey
A2.
A2: employee brands are personal, employer brand
A2: One Brand.
A2 Corporate branding = what it’s like to work here. Employee branding = behavior
A2: IMO brand is
A2 Employment branding & corp branding should be strongly
A2 – not all employees use the product/service a co. produces but must believe in it
A2 If there IS a difference,
A2: Is it an accident that ‘Best Companies to Work For’ are often very successful
A2:There should not be one. Branding should be unified
A2 – If companies wrap their
A2: With emp. branding, the work experience & opportunity is what is
A2. Both
A2 IMO most effective brands and truest, most
re Q2: What’s the
A2: sometimes customers just need a widget, but
Q3: Workplace
A3 – The vision
A3:Workplace culture can drive productivity and efficiency
A3 If all employees match the company culture, you have a
A3: If u are excited abt going into the office,the culture is driving your bus 4
A3 I know ee’s support
the brand (hopefully nicely est by leadership) but where do clients sit, don’t they *determine* the
brand? #TchatClaire Crossley
A3: Culture gives leadership a map to follow for ‘teaming’, i.e.,
A3:
A3: Workplace culture drives the brand because employee compatibility
A3. Brand is an
A3 Huge Yes, if get up everyday so happy to get to work,
A3: Workplace culture gives
A3
A3: Yes! You MUST hire the right people or your brand will be in peril.
A3: The culture of a firm drives the type of people you hire and
A3: Workplace cult gives a co. identity , defines reputation in the
A3:
A3: How the brand is executed & what is stands for determines the culture and
A3: Nearly always. Workplace
A3:Workplace culture can kill employment branding, of grow it. Why because
A3 Workforce culture is the the
A3: YES. Culture is true measure of what it’s like to work there. If the 2 are
A3:Culture drives branding.
Q4: Who owns employment branding, corporate branding, and the bridge between?
A4 #tchat HR owns employment branding but has to work w/ marketing
A4. Without meaning, purpose & service – a brand is a logo waiting to happen.
A4: Everyone, no one person, team or dept. owns it #tchat
A4- Yesterday, silos. Today requires collaboration for
A4 Everyone. All functions play role and must align throughout #tchatPam
A4: Colleges and Univ everyone own the brand, someone i designated to manage it.
A4 The #organization’s weakest link holds the company
A4: The ideal brand should be planned by execs/shareholders and the ongoing
A4 In reality…Emp
A4: Culture is an evolving thing, it can’t be owned. Like a person’s spirit. Or
A4: The bridge between employment and corporate
branding is owned by the company culture. Leadership actions set the culture. #TChatJon
M
A4:You hope that employment branding is owned by your employees.Corp by corp and
A4: The CBO (Chief Branding Officer)?
A4. Everyone owns employment branding. Collective intelligence starts
A4: Plain
A4: Everyone! The employees and… Oh no 🙂
A4 Simple…the workforce! #tchatKC
A4: thinking you can own a brand is 1st prob. It’s a living thing, best you can
A4: #tchatEmilie
a4. The employees – the employer & the State #TchatDave Ryan,
Q5: Does a company have to go green or donate shoes to Africa to have an attractive
🙂 Yes @gingerconsult: A5: The
A5: The engagement in these activities has to be with purpose, not
A5: A company has to be true to
A5 Work with what you have.If charity or green is too much money, sell your
A5: Apple got a
It’s YOUR Brand. Differentiate it. MT @impactresults: A5-
Agreed @YouTernMark A5: A cool mission helps, but a
A5: at the end of the day it’s about being authentic to who you are (employer
A5- It’s about having
A5:Most attractive employment brand is
A5 Community Engagement is a great if it is meaningful to the emps…if not just PR…
A5: companies just a visions purpose that employees and
@CyndyTrivella A5 If the
A5: It’s only skin deep, after awhile ppl realize it’s shallow consumers
A5.
A5 – No, but it can’t have a
A5. Must be true to their vision – whatever that is! #tchatcfactor
Ahh..the masterful one! @YouTernMark: A5 Cool mission helps, but a good
A5. Company culture should embrace good causes – Take care of its people
Leaders, People, World — Are We Listening?! >
A5.
changed my mind …NO not really but it probably helps. #TchatDave Ryan, SPHR
A5: No, but
Indeed! So true @Simon_GB: A5:No, but they would be wise to show they
A5:If you give, you shall
A5 Absolutely NOT…companies need to offer transparency and
A5: Just do
A5:No, but they would be wise to
A5. Not necessarily,
A5: The brand is all about the
Agreed! Like TOMS Shoes 🙂 @DaveTheHRCzar: A5 Yes All Companies should
A5: A cool mission helps, but a really good
A5 Not necessarily, but depending on who your target is, it helps! #tchatPam
A5: Treating people right in the workplace is the best social cause to take on &
A5. We manage a brand that has taken a life of its own
A5 Yes All Companies should donate shoes to Africa #TchatDave
A5: Corporate responsibility is real, and consumers can tell whether efforts are
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