Minding Your Own Brand

If the cake is bad,
what good is the frosting?

By Dave Lubelczyk

At the end of a meal, I received a fortune cookie with a message that read “If the cake is bad, what good is the frosting?” After reading this fortune, I realized that I had discovered a phrase that summed up my entire brand development philosophy.

All too often, companies approach brand development by just worrying about the frosting. They spend all their efforts focused only on what people see on the outside (corporate identities, marketing messages, product and service positioning, etc.) Companies have trouble realizing that if they don’t have the proper internal brand culture, customers may be wowed at first only to be disappointed by the bad taste that is left when employees deliver a less than promised brand experience.

In order to develop a strong external brand, companies must first develop a strong internal brand. By utilizing organizational development strategies along side brand development tactics, companies can create a brand culture which consistently delivers extraordinary brand experiences. The result is a brand which inspires passion and recruits both internal and external advocates.

Companies with strong internal brand cultures see increased revenue per employee and therefore greater profitability due to:

- Higher employee satisfaction
- Employee innovation
- Higher level of productivity
- Lower employee turnover
- Improved safety records

Because of the internal brand culture, each employee feels a connection to the organization. They become internal brand advocates who believe in the company and want to see it succeed. These advocates work to constantly improve and enrich the brand while they spread their passion to others both inside and outside the organization.

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This Month's Recommended Reading

Brand From the Inside

Eight Essentials to Emotionally Connect Your Employees to Your Business

by Libby Sartain, Mark Schumann

Buy the Book!