Work that Works™ and MKB

The move from philanthropy to responsibility

Brandee and I went to a fundraiser for the Michiana Humane Society this weekend and it got me thinking about charity and purposefulness as related to business goals. As you probably know, the buzz around CSR (corporate social responsibility) has been growing alongside the talk of social media. Both are new takes on age-old concepts that successful organizations have been employing for decades. And both are befuddling many CEOs and marketers alike. But let’s stick to CSR for now.

Most top-tier executives have calendars full of social events that are organized through, and benefits for, not-for-profits and cultural institutions. Many companies sponsor and underwrite events, scholarships, grants and operational budgets. But how many organizations have a clear plan for these activities and an organization-wide understanding of the corporate value system driving these choices?

“When done right, CSR is not an add-on,” says Cause Consulting’s Mark Feldman. “it actually becomes a core part of your master brand marketing and it’s used to build relationships.” After all, people in business want to do business with companies with a shared value system. Moreover, employees want to work for these ‘responsible’ companies. Take note of this:
34% of employees would take a pay cut to work for a socially responsible employer.

Wow.

Now we’re not just talking about jumping on the ‘go green’ bandwagon—though green can be a very important CSR component. There is an excellent article in Marketing News that explains the importance of the alignment of your CSR practices. You will want your CSR platform to align with your core business, your value system and the values that your brand stands for. Because as with branding in general, this value proposition must be authentic in order to be believed. And marketers play a key role in this component. Most likely, the CEO of your organization gets the idea of CSR, wants it, but doesn’t necessarily understand how to implement it or make it valuable for the company. Marketers know how to take intangibles (think Brand Essence) and develop messaging and media, as well as objectives and measurement to make them real.

So go ahead—grab CSR by the tail. And if you’d like to adopt a shelter pet at the same time, kudos to you!

photo - “Brandee’s sister, Pearl”

As simple as your own human genome project!

Rebranding is on everyone’s minds these days, or so it seems. And whether it’s referred to as meaning a refresh of the corporate identity or a complete overhaul of the very brand essence and promise, it both excites and scares most of our clients. As well it should. The implications of a rebrand can reach both broad and deep—affecting clients and influencers as well as employees and the recruiting pool.

At the most basic level, an organization’s rebranding will be accomplished through a three-stage process of:

1. Research and Discovery
2. Positioning and Messaging
3. Actualization

It’s that third stage—Actualization—that is the culmination of the previous two, and generally the most difficult to successfully achieve. It is also why many organizations choose to engage in a rebrand in the first place.

Brand Actualization is achieved through a three-part focus that matches the brand experience with the brand promise—for all stakeholders. The parts can be summarized as:

Part one: Brand Visualization— or What they see
The creative expression of the positioning—how the brand is brought to life.

Part two: Messaging Strategy— or What they hear
The plan of what must be communicated to whom in order to reflect the positioning long-term.

Part three: The Business Delivery— or What they experience
What you do and how you do it—the total experience of the refined brand.

Each one of these stages and parts are integral to the success of the whole, and each one requires a distinct skillset to accomplish. So if your company chooses to undertake a rebranding initiative, how will you know if it’s been done right? Believe it or not, I think you’ll feel it. We were discussing this idea recently with CMOs of some the world’s top brands, and the general consensus is that there is a Brand DNA that is threaded through successful companies—a shared philosophy, if you will, shared by management and all employees, and felt by the customer/client. It is inherent, and intangible.

As marketers, our job is to map that DNA
of the organization—to first discover it, then to create a visual and verbal representation, and provide a frame of reference for all audiences. Marketers as scientists? More like cartographers. After all, Wikipedia describes it as: “Cartography … Combining science, aesthetics, and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality can be modeled in ways that communicate spatial information effectively.” I’d go a step further and suggest that marketing communications builds on the premise that reality can be modeled in ways that communicate dimensional, emotional and aspirational information successfully.

So don’t fear the rebrand—embrace it. Work with experts who understand the fine points of the process, and who can bring the invaluable advantage of insight. The result will be worth it.